Team: Azure
by Ace Wolfblade
Summary: Join Ace Wolfblade as he and his team attend Beacon to become Hunters. Fun will be had, Friends will be made, Secrets will be revealed, and Feelings will be explored.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Enter Ace**

Welcome to the world of Remnant, a vast, almost magical land. Watched over by its many kingdoms, the world has been set into an amazing time of peace. Even so it's not a perfect existence. Never has been, never will be. Perfection is an unobtainable goal sought by fools and endless dreamers stuck in their own fantasies. I have to admit though that sometimes the very quest for such an unreachable goal brings forth some of the most desirable change for the better, and while we may never be satisfied with what we achieve in this pursuit, eventually we will find the we can contently settle for better. As is with the current state of ceasefire across Remnant, it is not without its flaws. We live in a world where mankind was forced to build their civilization with their backs against the wall, and even though we have gained untold ground against the creatures of Grimm, the creatures that threaten our very existence, we are still faced with the task to continue fighting to maintain that hold. Grim isn't the only problem we must deter though. Crime is ever precedent through the streets of our peaceful cities and racism and hatred run amok throughout the kingdoms. Such things are not easily erased or forgotten. But through the darkness, glimmers of hope shine to maintain the peace, however brief it may be. New heroes are born every day to combat this endless struggle. They dedicate their lives training to become Hunters and Huntresses to keep this balance and protect those who do not have the strength to protect themselves. But sometimes there are things more dangerous than even Grimm, ourselves. More specifically it's our fears and our emotions, our secrets and our pasts. Our inner most demons that threaten our own self-destruction and even harming those caught in their wake. And no matter how hard one may try to hide it, people are already crumbling on the inside. I know these facts to be true. I have a certain specialty in detecting these feelings. I've also grown quite skilled in helping others face these problems. It's a blessing and a curse I suppose. I gain great satisfaction in helping those who truly need it, those amongst us ready to break. I can't help but feel dissatisfied when those who are hurting refuse to seek help. I hate to see anybody suffer. It's sick and usually completely avoidable. I can't force them though, there life is their choice although some fail to see the extent in which that truly stretches. But I feel that sometimes all they truly need is a friendly push in the right direction.

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><p>Oh but listen to me ramble on about my view of the world, and not even give you a proper introduction. My name is Ace Wolfblade. My family occupation has always been geared toward blacksmithing, forging weapons; as such my skill in the field reflects this long lineage. While I respect and actively, if not most enjoyably, partake in my families work I always knew that I wanted more and would one day become a Hunter. I'm seventeen years old and I have just finished my final year at Signal Academy. Signal is a school designed to help train its students to become future Hunters and Huntresses in training. It trains them to become warriors, protectors of Remnant and all of humanity. Now my next and final step is Beacon, the most prestigious and renowned school for Hunters and Huntresses in all of Vale. The road will be perilous and full of hardship, danger around every corner, but no one ever said it would be easy, especially when it came down to the Entrance Level Combat Exam. Very few are selected to attend this school. But all my years of training and preparation had gotten me too far to let this deter me. I had been working for that very moment. Determination in tow I took the exam. I would later be informed that my efforts were not wasted. I had been selected to attend Beacon. I had passed the hardest hurdle with flying colors. I had finally done it. I was going to Beacon. My next step to becoming a Hunter was in front of me as a new adventure was quickly unfolding.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: First of let me thank you for bothering to take the time to read my Fan Fiction. I've been wanting to write one for a long time and finally have enough material to get off to a decent start. That being said this is my first Fan Fiction and my skills as a writer are relatively low. I hope that this will change as I write more. This story will follow very closely to the Canon RWBY Universe with a few minor tweaks for my OCs. The story will be mostly told through my OC but perspective may change when necessary or when I'm comfortable writing through the other characters perspective. I am happy to receive any criticism so I may help make my writing improve. If you have any suggestions to improve grammar, structure, layout, and especially ways to liven up the story with fresh descriptive language I would be honored to listen. I will post the first actual chapter later today if all goes well to give a better idea of my current writing skill and actually get the ball rolling on the story. I will try to post at least once a week until I catch up to unfinished chapters then it will probably turn to twice a month if I'm lucky. Once again thank you and I await your reviews.**


	2. Chapter 1

**First Days Pt 1: Setting the Stage**

The day had finally arrived for the eager new students of Beacon to begin their greatest adventure in becoming the warriors that Remnant needed. For the next four long years this would become their home. This would be the place where they ate, slept, trained, and learned. Where new friendships would be made and secrets would be revealed.

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><p>"So you passed your entrance exam as well Matt? That's great!" I congratulate my childhood friend as we walked around the airship to Beacon. "We can continue training and learning together again."<p>

"You sound surprised, I don't know whether to be grateful or offended." He jokingly replied with that classic goofy grin on his face.

"Sorry, you know I meant nothing by it. I'm just happy we didn't get separated, and a little shocked that you of all people found it in yourself to take the test seriously." I mocked at my fellow hunter in training.

Matthew Erthanos. We go way back to a little before us attending Signal together. I guess you could say he was my first real friend actually. Not to be said that people weren't friendly towards me, Matt was just the first one to stick by me no matter what. I think people were just a little uncomfortable with my choice in armor. Instead of donning the usual cloth or metal armor for combat I decided to go in a completely different route. To be put bluntly it was a strategic combination of various Grimm plating. Here's a little insight as to what this consisted of. The chest piece was little more than a slightly modified Death Stalker faceplate. The creatures of Grimm came in a variety of shapes and sizes. We as Hunters and Huntresses normally tackle the larger and deadlier variants. Those were the more primary targets during hunts. Finding a face plate suitable for crafting such an unorthodox defensive garment was a little challenging. But none the less my quest eventually provided me with good fortune and handed me the appropriate dimensions for such a piece. I even took the extra step in replacing it's now lifeless eyes with shaped pieces crafted out of its own stinger preserving a more natural look. Other pieces of the exoskeleton were carefully crafted together to form a back plate as well as arm and leg protection. Underneath this bony armor was a light mesh suit of King Taijitu scaling. On the right side the scales were of the black half of the creature but as it moves to the left it alternated to white with the colors gradually alternating to each other in the middle. The Grimm serpents are famously huge so crafting a full body under armor was simple. The scales are strong and great for added defense to areas that I couldn't cover with the regular bone plating while leaving my body flexible for movement. It's surprisingly comfortable in all reality. Added to the outer armors blind spot were some Ursa back spikes embedded into the plate of Death Stalker plating. Of course for practicality the spines were reduced by more than half their original size to proportion them to the rest of the armor. To complete my ensemble I had acquired an Alpha Beowulf's head and converted it into suitable helmet. It covered the top half of my head quite effectively and with minor modifications I retained me vision through a combination of more stinger shrapnel and special lenses on the inside to allow natural sight. I'm really attached to that helmet I have to admit. I can't bear to take it off. Outside of Matthew and other people who have seen me before the armor was forged know what the rest of my face looks like. It's not like I'm trying to hide my appearance. I just love the thing so much. Sometimes I even forget I'm wearing it. Through all this engineering my Chimera Grimm armor, as it was appropriately named was effective but undoubtable unnerving for people to be around.

Matt however was an entirely different story. Admittedly he confessed that it was indeed intimidating to say the least but argued that it was how it was to be used that defined its true nature. Truer words had never been spoken, at least not by Matt. He does surprise me from time to time with his insight but this is still the same crazy guy whose definition of fun was putting holes in the training room floor with his massive spiked great hammer, Vulcan. That monstrosity had more strength than five Ursi and was twice as brutal. Needless to say we would both end up in trouble more times than I dared to count for his "overly enthusiastic" display of combat. His armor was more conventional than mine but in my opinion that's what made it that much more boring. It was barely more than basic heavy metal plating covering his various areas with an equally as basic chainmail underneath. Matthew Erthanos was a tank in human form.

"Hey I can be serious when it counts," he boldly proclaimed with his fists at his waist for emphasis. "You're just no fun. I have to be less serious to even the energy."

"I'm plenty fun and you know it," I state in my defense. "My definition of fun just happens to be saner, unlike some people who resort to picking on a herd of Borbatusks to get his thrills. I still have pains from last week you know."

"Yeah that big one really didn't like you." He almost laughed in my face.

"Yeah you're just lucky the stupid thing killed itself bashing its head into my back spikes."

"Now that was funny! By the way where's your weapon?" he asked.

"My _weapons_ are being shipped in the cargo hold."

"You brought ALL of them!? He practically yelled to all of Vale. "I told you that you needed to pick ONE, namely your personal weapon."

"I know, I know but I felt that a few would come in handy so I brought them, and I did bring my personal weapon." '_Among other things_' I quietly thought to myself. Matt was going to be even more upset at what else I brought stored in the cargo hold.

"Look just because you can make all these weapons doesn't mean you have to master them too."

"I think it pays to be prepared for any situation." I retorted. Before Matt came around I was already proficient in crafting weapons both simplistic and intricate. With no one to spend time with I opted to spend my leisure time practicing with the various weapon classes. Naturally I had a great field of knowledge on how each weapon worked and the strengths and weaknesses of each individual weapon. I considered it a requirement for any proper weapon forger to know these things, especially when these weapons are your family's source of income. Bad products meant bad business. Personally I enjoy the swift precision behind my dual katanas, which happened to connect at each other's hilts to form a powerful twin blade. But these were only my secondary weapons and I preferred the sheer stopping power of my claymore/shotgun hybrid for more powerful attacks. I know Hunters usually only have one specific weapon but that just wasn't my style. I usually carry around both sets of weapons with katanas on back and claymore resting at my left side, but for the sake of the trip I didn't feel it necessary to carry them around on the airship and left them in my cargo.

"Whatever, you brought your blacksmithing gear with you too didn't you?"

"Of course" I answer back lazily.

"You know I heard that Beacon is supposed to have an exceptional forge on campus."

"Well then I'm sure they won't mind the extra equipment. My weapons, my tools."

"You know I can't help but feel your neglecting to tell me something about your "cargo" on board." He states accusingly. "What are you not telling me?"

"I…Uh… Hey look there's Beacon!" 'Thank you forces above for that timely distraction.' True to my word Beacon was coming into our view. We were finally here.

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><p><strong>AN: Somthing went wrong when I put out this chapter so I had to remove it. I'm still getting use to this publishing system so give me some time. If it's still screwed up this time I'm gonna have words with my computer.**


	3. Authors Note 1

**Ok so I'm not happy. If you have all seen the latest episode of RWBY you will know that Ruby and Yang got a little delivery. That delivery happens to share a name with an upcoming OC in my story. I had this stuff all planned out for a while and Rooster Teeth beat me to the punch on a name. I hold no ill will to them for they are a wonderful company that fill my days with laughter. I just don't want people thinking I'm unoriginal or ripping off other peoples ideas, especially you the community. If you see something I write and it looks like I stole it, I didn't. My work is my own. So please understand that this coincidence was out of my power. I set months aside to plan my characters names included. This will probably end up making it into the story as it is canon.**

**Second note. I promised an update to my story once every week. I will uphold that. that being said I'm sure for anyone that actually cares for my story and keeping track of it, was expecting a chapter yesterday as it would be one solid week since my first postings. However I am in college and it takes a lot of my time. If possible I will have a chapter finished either by tonight or tomorrow. I wanted to post on wednesdays but like i said stuff happens. For this I apologize but I might make it up to you guys with an early chapter and the fact that you all now know the name of an upcoming (Chapter after Next) character.**

**That about wraps things up here on my end so please drop a review so I can hear your thoughts and actually gauge how many people are actually reading instead of just briefly looking and leaving from disinterest. Im happy to see 44 views in a week as opposed to my expectation of 3 so thanks.**


	4. Chapter 2

**First Days Pt 2: The Long Awaited Arrival**

As we stepped off the airship we began to truly comprehend the sheer size of this place. The campus stretched out for acres and its tallest structure threatened to pierce the heavens themselves. This structure appeared to be more of a castle than it was a school. Words simply failed us as we marveled at the grandiose architecture that was our school. All we could manage to muster was a cooperative "Wow…" Many other first year students began to explore their new home with equal excitement. All except for one lone individual.

In the middle of the courtyard by a sizable statue depicting Hunters and Huntresses standing above the Grimm they conquer stood a very calm and composed Knight. He wore a full suite of heavy silver armor, with a royal blue surcoat displaying his emblem, a sizable shield adorned with a dragons head, accented by a few patches of black. The armor covered his entire body; leaving no area for vulnerability, save for his mouth which was the only part unguarded by steel. An odd decision to say the least but I wouldn't question it. I would however question the overly massive Zweihander blade mounted on his shoulder. Forget Matts hammer this behemoth was larger than life itself. I can't imagine the physical training it took to even wield something that big. He didn't stick around long and headed in what I assumed was the direction to the site of the orientation meeting.

"Did you see the size of that guy's sword Matt?" I inquired as I returned my attention to my friend.

"Yeah, don't go getting any ideas now Ace."

"I have absolutely no idea as to what you are talking about."

"Sure you don't, just like you don't know what could possibly be in your own cargo…" He trailed off for a moment. I could tell that something in that thick head of his just clicked. "You didn't, did you? You didn't bring That with you, here of all places, right?" he asked nervously. The only response I gave him was a gentle nod to confirm his suspicions. It wouldn't do me any good to lie about it now. He would just find out later anyway.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD OF REMNANT MADE YOU THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA!?" Matt screamed angrily. No this was beyond anger, this was pure unbridle fury. Trying to stop this outrage would be like trying to contain a volcanic eruption.

"Shh, I know but I couldn't just leave it, and besides this probably by far more reasonable than your escapade to sneak away with a bottle of your fathers wine to "taste" it." I counter grimacing at the memory of the ordeal that shortly followed.

"Hey you had some too, we're in this together!"

"I only had one glass like we had agreed; you finished the whole bottle by nightfall."

"Oh it wasn't that bad."

"You were running up and down the neighborhood streets like a mad man. To this day I'll never understand how you managed to fold that truck around the top of the electrical tower. I'm not hiding you from the cops next time you decide to go on a drunken rampage with Vulcan waking the whole neighborhood. Oh and you can find someone else to complain about your hangover too."

"I still think this is far worse."

"Oh you would say that you iron headed je…"

I was interrupted from our banter by the sounds of sneezing and… explosions?

"What in Remnant was that?" Matt cried out, frantically searching for the source of the newfound commotion. I turn around to find the origin of the uproar. What I found was amusing to say the least.

A sizable cloud of Dust particles and energy dissipated revealing two girls. One was dressed in a red and black combat skirt with a red hood draped on her shoulders. She had short black hair with red tips and the most adorable silver eyes. A red slab of metal was attached on her back, presumably it was her weapon.

The other was dressed in an elegant white and light blue bolero jacket and skirt. Her eyes were a frigid ice blue and her long white hair was bound in an asymmetrical ponytail on her right side. Her weapon of choice, a Dust Action Rapier, was holstered at her side.

On second inspection I noted the white snowflake insignia on her back, the symbol of the Schnee Dust Company and family. The girl's family alone could supply nations with Dust for years and because of this were famous for their wealth. On the offhand they were also known for some rather questionably business decisions including but not limited to their exploitation and mistreatment of Faunas labor forces.

The two girls were covered in soot from the small explosion and neither looked very happy. The younger girl could only sit and fidget as the heiress proceeded to rant and verbally assault her with words as cold as her glare.

"Looks like someone else is getting a hard time" I observe. Matt and I proceeded to the orientation leaving the girls to their squabble.

"Hey Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"That red girl was kinda cute."

"Ugh, just keep moving lover boy."

We soon found ourselves amongst all the other first year students gathered in the auditorium. The variety of weapons and weapon designs was truly remarkable. Maces, swords, guns… a bow? Someone favors classic projectiles I see.

The young Huntsman was dressed in a forest green archer hood and shroud, covering a black thin tunic. It was very light protection but it allowed a much greater level of mobility and stealth that metal armor couldn't provide. The back of the shroud displayed his emblem, a Nevermore seen from an aerial view. It was simple yet displayed strength. On his back was a quiver which contained his weapons ammunition, multiple high quality arrows.

I continue to scan the room and its various occupants, stopping when I spot the Knight from the courtyard. He still had his weapon mounted on his arm. I quickly avert my gaze. Just looking at that sword made my body feel tired, drained of energy.

We wouldn't have to wait long for the Headmaster to arrive as he took his place on the small stage. Professor Ozpin, Huntsman and Headmaster of Beacon. The man seemed very distant as he spoke into the microphone, like he was preoccupied by something else.

"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished you plan on dedicating your lives to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

"Well that was less than inspirational" Matt whispered slightly annoyed by Ozpins choice of a speech.

"It was… interesting" I confirm with less annoyance and more confusion. Professor Goodwitch takes Ozpins place on stage as he makes his leave.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You're dismissed."

"Well I'm gonna go check on my cargo. See ya later Matt." I inform him as we start to disperse.

"Whatever, just don't get on trouble on your first day." Matt replied.

"Uh pot, come in pot this is kettle over" I mock mimicking a radio transceiver. He had more of a chance screwing something up the first day than I did. With that I took my leave.

It was getting late as I made my way back to the ballroom, after retrieving and depositing my weapons into my assigned locker, per Goodwitchs instruction. I found Matt among the resting students with a spot beside him reserved for me.

"So how did it go?" he asked.

"Fine" I reply tiredly.

"Everything taken care of?"

"Yes." I replied settling into what qualified as our beds. I don't know how long he would press the topic but I don't think he needed much more of a response than that. He quickly dropped the subject.

"I can't wait for tomorrow. I finally get to crack some Grimm skulls!" Matt cheered with brimming excitement.

"Calm down, save your energy until the initiation."

Somewhere in the room we could both hear people wrestling followed by voices.

"Oh not you again!"

We turn to face the far side of the room, illuminated by candlelight. Why am I not surprised to find the girls from earlier? The rivaling duo was accompanied by two more faces. One a tall blonde with lilac colored eyes and long golden hair that covered her back and almost went to her waist. Through the bickering she revealed herself as the red and black themed girls' older sister.

The other girl was just sitting against the wall with a book in her hand watching the warring teenagers in front of her. She had long raven hair and piercing amber eyes. Here attire matched her hair including the bow perched in the middle of her head. I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure bows aren't meant to be used as sleepwear. Oh well.

The black haired girl seemed to be quite through with the situation, clearly annoyed her reading time was interrupted. With a simple short breath she extinguished the candelabra darkening the room and signaling it was time for us to retire to our rest.

Morning arrived as daylight broke through the room stirring students and myself from our collective slumber. I awake with a yawn and a slightly sore back. The floor mats that posed as our beds were not unbearable but lacked the cushioning a proper bed would have provided as opposed to laying on the hard ground.

A lot of the other students, including the four girls from last night, had already vacated the area to start the day. I shake my head trying to jar myself into a less comatose state. I can hear a very enthusiastic looming over another student, probably her friend, waiting for him to wake. The bubbly girl had orange hair and cool turquoise eyes. Her clothes were just basic pink and white colored teen clothes.

"Wake up lazy butt!" she shouted to her slowly rising friend, a young male with black hair tied into a ponytail and a streak of magenta in the front. His eyes were equally as pink and he wore a green material artist tunic. His face remained stoic despite just being awoken by the overly energetic girl.

'I know how you feel man' I think to myself as a watched the duo get up and go. He wasn't the only one to be rudely yanked out of their sleep by an energetic companion. Matt's family was always very close to me and my own after we became friends and we would often hangout together whenever we got the chance.

Unfortunately, due to his constant antics we were usually too exhausted to return to our respective homes and ended up crashing at whose ever house we were around at the time. He always got up before me and pestered me until I woke up.

'Now that I think about it where was that iron headed mani-'

"MORNING ACE!"

"ACK!" I stumble over face landing on the floor. I turn to face Matt glaring at him with a look he knew too well. The grin on his face remained despite this.  
>"Matt…" I groan at him. "It's too early for you to be giving me heart attacks."<p>

I would think that I would be used to these morning assaults on my nerves, but sadly that wasn't the case. Matt had apparently already as he was dressed in his armor with weapon at his side.

I dragged myself floor and to the bathroom for my morning rituals. With my morning maintenance out of the way I exit the bathroom to find Matt waiting… with my weapons in his hands. I know I locked the up in my locker before retiring to the ballroom, and yet here Matt was holding my blades in his arms.

'Great, now I have to change the access code to my locker.' On the bright side that saves me a trip to the armory.

We walk to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast. Nothing fancy. Just a simple plate of eggs, pancakes, toast and some milk.

"What no bacon?" Matt sulked clearly displeased with this discovery. Matt loves his bacon.

"They probably only want to serve the more healthy foods to benefit our health in combat" I reason, cutting my pancakes.

"But bacon is so good" he whines once more.

"Get over it and hurry up. We have to be at the cliff side soon."

Matt begrudgingly complies as he decimates his bacon less breakfast at break neck speed. No manners whatsoever.

"So when I was in the locker room I overheard that we might be getting partners today." Matt states as I continue with my breakfast.

"I feel sorry for the poor fool who gets stuck with you."

"Well what if that poor fool is you." He points with his fork before stealing some eggs to spite me.

"Please for everyone else's sake I hope it's me, save the others the trouble."

"Hey I would make for a great teammate for anyone."

"Provided you don't drive them insane or to an early grave I would agree."

"Whatever lets go."

Shortly after finishing we make our way to the cliff to find many familiar faces, including Goodwitchs and the Headmaster himself. We take our positions marked by the schools logo on metallic squares close to the edge. Matt just sat with his back to cliff acting the fool that he was. He always had to be difficult.

When we were all settled, Ozpin began his lecture.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Goodwitch chimed in as it was her turn to speak.

"Now I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates… today." Ozpin reclaims the audience.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well. That being said the _first_ person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

"What?!" a shrill shriek came from the distant side of the cliff.

"After you have partnered up make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will face heavy opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die"

'Good job professor. You just gave a destruction crazed maniac the green light to level the forest.'

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item as well as your standing and we will grade you appropriately. Are there any questions? Good, now take your positions."

With the last words barely out of his mouth, one by one we were catapulted into the forest. We heard the sounds of the few before us being launched but Matts' attention was regained too late as he too was launched in the sitting position he remained in. As I joined him in the sky I heard his cries of surprise turn to exited whooping.

As we soared through the heavens over an endless sea of trees I could not help but revel in the experience. It was amazing, free and contenting. I saw Matt draw Vulcan turning his head to shoot me a grin. He began spinning himself to redirect his momentum, and after a few rotations, activated Vulcans launch system sending the heavy head of the hammer rocketing to punch the air above him. It launched him with enough force to send him barreling to the forest below.

'Well there goes Matt. Not sure if I can find him again in this thick foliage.'

I too lose speed and began my descent into the forest below. Up until now I was too distracted by Matt to formulate a landing strategy that didn't involve me becoming a crater in the ground. I don't have much time to think as the forest becomes closer and closer.

I hear a tree crashing down not far behind me signaling that Matt had landed. 'What did trees ever do to him?'

'Come on brain give me something.' Finally I had formulated a plan. I draw my twin katanas and raise them up pointing parallel to my body as I am submerged into the sea of leaves below. Using my katanas I gripped a branch over my head. Using my momentum I swung off the branch and headed feet first into a collision course with the side of another tree. Quickly I sheath the twin swords and switched to my claymore, Lunar Fang. I point the blade in the direction of my legs and connect with the tree, driving the blade into the sturdy bark.

I'm now standing sideways halfway up the tree using my embedded sword to keep from immediately falling. I look down gauging the distance left between me and the ground, a fall that could easily be absorbed by aura.

I withdraw my blade from the tree to begin my final descent, back flipping off just for added flare. With my feet now firmly planted on sweet terra firma once more it became time to make my way to the forest temple. Maybe I'll find Matt on the way. I just hope he hasn't caused himself or anyone else any trouble already. I begin my journey to the temple, unaware of the presence pursuing me, watching from the shadows, waiting to strike.


	5. Chapter 3

**First Days Pt 3: Team: AZRE**

I feel like I've been walking for hours, but in all reality it's probably only been half an hour. Time slows down without any company it seems. Even so I still have yet to run into Matt, or any of the other students, or even the forest temple. As I walk I can't help but feel something is off.

Suddenly a fireball from seemingly nowhere flies past me narrowly missing me by a few inches. It explodes several feet away from me. I don't know where it came from but I'm not about to stick around to find out. I begin dashing through the forest evading even more fireballs were fired around me, one coming so close to hitting the back of my head that I could feel the heat emanating from it warming my face as it flew by.

Whatever it is that is firing at me isn't stopping its attack. I need to lose it somehow and quickly. As I serpentine and evade through the trees I activate my semblance allowing me to seemingly vanish into thin air. The fireballs cease as the attacker is unable to detect where I am. I deactivate my semblance reappearing a slight distance from where I had activated it. The fireballs return as it seems I had been found by my pursuer. I reactivate my semblance once again, vanishing from sight and reappearing further and further away. The process continues for a little while as I continue to confuse and evade the source of the fire.

After a couple of minutes running through the trees, the fireballs cease once more but I continue on as to not be found again. I come across a clearing in the forest with a stone structure in the middle. I come to a stop in front of it, needing a moment to catch my breath. My aura and stamina have been greatly drained from the run and need a chance to recharge. After a brief moments rest my aura flares up warning me that danger was near, very near.

I quickly side roll to the right in time to evade an all too familiar sword. A Zweihander. It belongs to that solitary Knight but why would he be attacking me? He swings his blade horizontally trying to swipe me. I jump over his oncoming sword avoiding the attack and landing safely back down. He swipes twice more each time being futile in his attempt to hit me. He changes his swinging into a powerful forward thrust and once more I jump to dodge, landing on the end of his blade. Proud of my maneuver I flash a grin, but am surprised to see my foe flashing one of his own.

"Hrghyah!" he grunts as he swings his blade upward launching me into the air with tremendous strength. And here I thought I was done flying for today. As I flew upwards he lowered his blade and tracked me trajectory. He opened his mouth and launched a fireball upwards at me with great force. I draw Lunar Fang but am to slow to deflect the incoming shot and it connects with my chest. Thank dust for aura or I would have been severely burned.

He launches another orb of fire but this time I am prepared and split it in half. I attempt to use the fall to power an aerial twin kick similar to what I did to the tree when I landed but was greeted by a surprise.

His blade splits in half down the middle of its broad side. One half of the blade splits outwards on the blades edge folding outwards to the sides of the massive hilt. The halves telescope inwards decreasing the length of each to a mere third of its true size. The halves then rotate pointing downwards forming a shield like shape. The other half of the blade also collapses in a similar fashion and tucks itself under the hilt forming a protruding bayonet in the bottom front. He pulls up the newly formed shield and my feet land harmlessly against its surface. With no choice I rebound of the shield a good distance away.

In the center of the shield a hidden six barrel chain gun turret concealed by the blades, comes uncovered. The turret extends its barrels outwards to complete the weapon transformation. The Knight was now wielding a mini-gun with guards on either side to deflect attacks and the handle of the blade revealed a trigger to act as the firing mechanism.

He grips the trigger with his left hand and holds the weapon up by the handle on the hilt. The whole transformation took only a few seconds and he was now primed to a much different kind of fire upon me. Lunar Fang is too slow to block successive fire so I return it to its sheath and switch to using my katanas, immediately activating their fusion. As the hilts touch and a connective handle forms between them giving them a proper grip. The Knight pulls the trigger starting the guns slight three second warm-up and his whirring death machine begins firing rounds in quick succession. He must be using a Dust powered energy core to power his weapons rounds.

I spin my twin blade to deflect his projectiles. I start charging towards him while I continued to deny his rounds contact. His weapon ceased fire and converted back into its blade form. He began charging at me with equal speed. His blade is too heavy for my katanas to block an attack, so after disconnecting them, I switched back to my claymore. When I'm within his range he brings his sword down. I slide into the blade raising my own overhead to block. My blade catches his and with a quick motion, I knock it back with my own upward swing staggering him back. He breaths a small fire ball and I retreat backwards a safe distance.

By this time we're both exhausted and our auras are definitely low. We stare each other down for what looked like the beginning of the final clash of steel. A gentle breeze blows in our faces as our eyes remain locked on each other. To my surprise and great relief he returns his sword to his back. The skirmish was over.

"Not bad, not bad at all." he finally spoke, revealing his voice. It was gentle and medium in tone. For someone geared up as he was I was expecting a little deeper.

"You're pretty good yourself." I smirk as I sheath my blade. "Now why did you attack me?"

"I was just testing your metal." He replies evenly.

"Uh-huh, that's why you tried to incinerate me and split me in half while I wasn't looking."

"Well in all honesty I thought you were some kind of Grimm before I saw your weapons." He confessed with slight embarrassment. Oh joy, another reason to question my decisions in armor. Confound armor is proving more trouble than it's worth.

"If I had lien for every time I heard that…"

"No hard feelings then?" he extends his hand in a gesture of peace.

"All in the past." I shake his hand accepting his apology. "So where is your partner?"

"I don't have one actually."

"Well neither do I so I guess you'll have to do." I reply mockingly. I don't think he took that as well as I had intended as his grin disappeared. "Oh lighten up I was just joking. It would be an honor to be partnered with such a fierce fighter. I'm Ace Wolfblade."

"Likewise, I'm Zweii Dragos." He bows.

"Dragos, you mean like dragons?"

"Precisely."

"Ah, so that would explain the fire. Your semblance?"

"Yes. Everyone on my father's side of the family inherits it. Dragonic Pyromancy. I can take the heat as well as dish it out." He laughs. "When I was chasing you through the forest, for brief moments you disappeared and I lost track of you. Then you reappeared. How did you do that? Is your semblance speed, teleportation, or…"

"Invisibility. I can completely cloak myself as well as my armor and weapons. I can cloak things around me too but it puts a bit of a strain on my aura. I only use it when necessary."

"That's handy."

"Man that sword of yours is huge. No offense but you don't quite look the part to swing it around like you do. What's with that?"

"What Dragons Wrath? It's actually lighter than you think. The alloy is strong but not as dense as regular steel. Plus a good portion of it is hollow to house the turret." He explains detailing his swords properties.

"I see. And the gun is powered by dust yes?"

"Right. A clip is pretty impractical and hard to reload in heavy combat. What about yours? Does it have dual capabilities?" He points to Lunar Fang.

"Yeah Lunar Fang converts into an assault shotgun and I utilize a small Dust crystal in the hilt to generate the rounds, similar to yours but slightly heavier."

We finish talking as we step into the middle of the temple. The relics rested on pedestals place around its circumference. They appeared to be chess pieces and a few are missing. There are no kings or queens, the white bishops are gone as the black rooks.

"I suppose we should grab one and head back." Zweii states. I pick up black knight. Seems appropriate all things considered.

"Alright let's get going." As we turn we find howling beasts waiting for us. Beowolves, and lots of them. At least twenty led by an Alpha. Zweii and I have had time to rest and charge our auras after our fight but not a lot and not by much. I check my scroll to gauge how much aura I have left. A little over half a full bar indicated by green lights. I was hoping for more.

"Down to half aura here, how about you?"

He checks his scroll and faces me. "Same. Got a plan?"

"Divide and conquer." I draw my katanas and I rush for the half of the beasts on my right and Zweii takes the left. A Beowulf lunges at me and I slide past splitting it in half down the midsection. I kick the upper half into another one behind it staggering it. I decapitate it and move on. One after another I drop the oncoming pack. Zweii was taking strong swings at his half, slicing two to three at a time with every motion. He wipes them out quite quickly. Soon the Alpha is the only one standing but this was short lived.

It howls and another pack takes the place of the dead ones and surrounds us. Me and Zweii stand back to back preparing for the next wave. He converts his sword to chain-gun mode and I switch to Lunar Fang converting it to shotgun mode. His mini-gun begins rotating spraying rounds into the enemies in a sweeping fashion. I start unloading shells into my half of the new pack. One… Two… Three, four, five. Soon they all dropped leaving the Alpha alone once more.

The Alpha jumps at us making his final mistake. He takes a shot to the chest sending him crashing down but not instantly killing it. It takes two more rounds to the chest and two more to the face before it lay dead with its pack. The Beowolves were defeated but our battle wasn't over yet. A group of six Ursi from nearby must have heard all the commotion and were un us in seconds.

"Oh come on, when are we gonna catch a break?" I puff slightly, tired from the Beowolves. My aura is at about a fourth indicated by a small red bar. Zweii was also showing signs of exhaustion, breathing heavily. This had to end quickly or it was going to turn ugly real fast.

The Ursi surround us and prepare to attack. One made the first move and targeted me. It was mid swipe and I took a defensive stance bracing for the impact. Before it could connect an arrow came screaming out form the trees around us. The Ursas strike was canceled by an explosion of ice that froze its back side. The Ursa was immobilized by the ice and I took the opportunity given and ended the Ursa, thrusting my blade through its chest. The other Ursi were distracted from the sudden loss of one of their kind and retreated a little. They look around trying to find the origin of the murderous arrow only for one of them to be greeted with a spiked hammer to the face. Matthew had arrived.

"You're late to the party" I tell him with a weary grin.

"It's not a party until I get here." He returned with his usual smile. "I see you're not the only one that made a new friend today." He points to Zweii.

"Oh him, that's my partner Zweii." He waves in recognition of his name.

A hooded figure leaps from a nearby tree. "Ace, Zweii, this is my new friend and partner Dezaryl Ravenhawk."

I shake his hand. "I'm so sorry. Nice to officially meet you Dezaryl."  
>"Oh he's no problem. He seems far saner than my kid brother. By the way Dezaryl is pretty long so my friends just call me Dez."<p>

"I wouldn't be too sure about that yet Dez. You just met after all." I warn.

"Hey Ace, be quite." He retorts. "Anyways word of advice, don't play guessing games with this guy. His semblance is Mental Augmentation. Gets into your mind."

"Uh guys, I hate to break up this wonderful reunion but we still have these things to take care of." Zweii reminds us readying his sword.

"One for each of us? I like those numbers." I reply switching Lunar Fang to blade mode. We each rush an individual target. Zweii uses his semblance to coat his sword in fire for added killing power. The Ursa never stood a chance as the fiery blade cut it from head to torso disintegrating it.

Dez draws three arrows tipped with burn Dust and fires them with quick precision, each one striking it in the front. As the arrows connected with the Ursas body the tips exploded causing the beast to recoil backwards in pain, exposing its unarmored chest. Dez then pulled the string of his long bow forwards and it collapsed into a long sword, sharp edges emerging from both sides of the bow. He charges the Ursa delivering the final blow, slashing it across its chest. Its body dropped backwards void of life.

Matt got up close and personal with his Ursa and engaged it with his fists. The beast bit at him but ended up getting a mouthful of Matt's arm as he activated his semblance. Teeth met pure iron and the Ursas jaw cracked. Matt's semblance him to convert his flesh into iron granting him a dramatic increase in his physical attacks and defense at the price of some speed. He smirks at the Ursa and punches it off with his metallic right fist sending it flying. It landed on its back and Matt ended it with a powerful finishing strike to the torso with Vulcan.

I run towards mine as it readies itself to bring its arm down on me. I jump upwards cleaving off its arm. It roars in pain as its limb falls in front of it. I turn midair and bring my sword down into the back of its neck killing it in an instant. The battle was over. Matt and Dez walked to the temple and grabbed the other black knight piece. With our relics in hand and no other creatures to get in our way we returned to Beacon.

We step up onto the stage awaiting Ozpins decision, the screens on either side of the stage showing a picture of each of us and a letter.

"Ace Wolfblade, Zweii Dragos, Dezaryl Ravenhawk, and Matthew Erthanos. The four of you recovered the black knight pieces. From here on out you will be known as, Team: AZRE, led by… Ace Wolfblade." The audience applauds.

'What? _Me,_ leader?' I definitely wasn't expecting that one. First I make it into Beacon and now I'm in charge of my own team? Someone above must really like me. I nod accepting my role. "Thank you sir." I say with gratitude. We walk off the stage to allow the next team to be formed.

"Aw man. You're leader?" Matt whined. "Now I really do have to listen to you huh?"

"I guess so. But I'll still have to listen to you guys too. Were all equal here. I just get to make the executive decisions."

Two teams later and the final team was being formed. The four girls from last night.

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team: RWBY, led by… Ruby Rose." The blond haired girl brought the younger sister and new leader in for a hug. "Things are turning out to be an interesting year."

'Yes, yes they are.'


	6. Chapter 4

**Petals Scatter Pt 1: Every Rose has its Thorns**

It had been a week since the rigorous initiation in the Emerald Forest. With teams established and dorms assigned, the students were resting comfortably in their new living quarters. All of them slept peacefully through the night. All of them except for one Ruby Rose.

She was back in her home, a small cottage near the woods; snow covered the area as far as the eye could see. The house looked untouched by anyone, everything in neat order but void of other life.

She was in her room, waiting anxiously, and worry evident in her face. She shouldn't be worried, this was like the thousandth time this had occurred by now and she always came back. Always. Even still the fear remained evident in her eyes until the sound of the front door opening was heard. Excited, she ran to the kitchen to greet the person she was waiting for. The figure stood there donning a cloak as white as the falling snow. The rest of her whit ensemble was stained red with blood, tarnishing the purity of her outfit.

Ruby with tears of joy in her eyes ran to embrace her. Her happiness was short lived. As she ran she quickly discovered that she was getting no closer to her than when she started. Everything went black as darkness filled the room. The figure began disappearing, into a flurry of white rose petals.

"No… Come back…" The young red and black clad girl cried continuing her futile efforts of reaching the fading woman. "Don't leave me… I need you."

No response ever came from the other female before she completely disappeared. She was gone and Ruby was alone, tears streaming down her face. She fell to her knees sobbing as the house around her evaporated into a black ash around her. When the house was gone the woods too disappeared and the scene was replaced by an icy cliff side. Ruby sat crying in front of a lone grave marker sat at the edge.

"RUBY!" a familiar voice resonated through the forest calling her. It was her sisters' voice.

"YANG!" she answered back looking for the direction of her sisters' call.

"RUBY!" her sister called out once again, her voice emanating from the forest behind the cliff side.

"I'm coming!" Ruby yelled, desperately trying to compose herself from her distraught state. Running into the forest as fast as her legs could take her she searched for Yang. When she finally arrived to her destination, nothing could have prepared her for the scene that played out before her. Any ounce of calm and control she had acquired was shattered.

Her sister sat before her against a tree, beaten and bloody. Her glorious golden hair was covered with her own blood and her face was void of her usual smile.

"Yang… No…" Ruby wept in front of her sister, desperately reaching towards her, only to see her sisters' form slowly begin to fade into wisps of golden flame. The last thing Ruby saw of her was Yang's deep lilac eyes close for the final time as she too left Ruby.

Ruby's small heart was quickly breaking and yet her misery did not end there. She soon found herself watching Blake fighting for her life against an Ursa, already bleeding and losing. Blake launched herself at the Ursa with Gambol Shroud prepared to end the beast's life, only to be stopped by a single fierce strike sending her to the ground. Her weapon had been sent across the forest floor out of her reach. She tried to get up only to scream in pain clutching her right arm which she quickly discovered was broken.

Ruby knew she should run to aid her teammate but her body refused to move. She could only watch in horror as the Ursa returned to finish the job. With another swipe of its arm, Blake burst into an explosion of black smoldering petals. "Life isn't always like a fairy tale," Her voice lingering for a moment for its final sounding. "We don't always have a happy ending." And with that Blake's voice faded and ceased.

Ruby felt sick to her stomach, wanting to throw up her very soul as Blake's final words echoed in her mind. Ruby unable to cope with what was going on, clutched her head with both hands, screaming through her pain. "Make it stop!"

Her pleas were unheard as she found Weiss lying in the snow. Her face was like Yang's, covered with blood. Her white bolero jacket was gashed open to reveal deep wounds across her abdominal cavity. Myrtenaster was beside her, blade broken much like its wielder.

"You complete dunce," She spat at Ruby with such venom in her words that Ruby recoiled back like she had just been bit by a King Taijitu. "I knew you weren't fit to be a leader." The broken fencer continued as her ice blue eyes stared daggers of glass into Ruby. "You're… Such a… Dolt." Weiss coughed before her body became one with the snow she rested on.

It had become official. Ruby was alone. Completely undeniably alone, left to wallow in her sadness. A Beowolf came charging from the forest straight on a collision course with the emotionally broken Ruby. She reached for her weapon to find that Crescent Rose was not with her. She looked back to the Beowolf with great and sudden fear in her silver eyes. This was it for her. Her final moment had arrived. Everything she held dear to her was gone and the dreams she lived for came crashing down around her in her mind. She braced herself for the end as the Beowolf lunged at her, as she let loose her final blood curdling scream.

She awoke with such suddenness she made herself sick. Her head felt light and her breathing was erratic as she desperately gasped for air. Her heart was racing at a million miles an hour and her small body was drenched in a cold sweat. She looked around the room frantically to find all her teammates sleeping peacefully. Ruby, as relieved as she was to see her friends and sister unharmed, returned her thoughts to her nightmare. Curling into as small of a ball as humanly possible she wrapped her arms around her slender legs and began to cry.

After a while she began to calm, looking at the clock. It read 1: 34 AM. It was late but thankfully she realized it was Sunday morning, so there were no classes to attend to later in the day. Even if this wasn't the case Ruby didn't feel like returning to her sleep as to avoid re-experiencing her night terror.

She silently grabbed her combat attire and made her way to the bathroom to change. She moved silently as she didn't wish to wake the others. After her clothes were changed she made her way out to the cliff side overlooking the Emerald Forest. Sitting, she gazed at the endless sea of deep green tree canopy that made up the top of the forest. As much as she feared the thought, the young Huntress in training wanted to be alone to think.

Her solitude quickly diminished as she noticed a dark figure some distance away making its way into the forest. Curiosity getting the better of her she stood up and decided to follow it, maintaining a safe distance away so she would go undetected as she followed the mysterious new presence.

The trek didn't last long as the target stopped not even halfway into the forest. Ruby quickly hid behind a nearby tree while trying to maintain visual on the figure. It was tall and draped in the night's darkness.

The clouds that hung in the sky shifted from their positions shielding the bright crumbled moon, giving the slightest increase in illumination. This new found light pierced through the canopy revealing the figure to be human, a student it seemed. He sported battle armor comprised of many bony plates from Grimm, an interesting and shocking discovery for the young scythe wielder. He boasted a large sword on his left side and something else on his back but it was too dark to make out.

'What was someone other than herself doing out in the forest so late at night?' She wondered to herself. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of paws charging closer to the boy's location. A Beowolf appeared as quickly as the sound could only watch as it growled, leaping at the student.

Ruby tried to warn the swordsman but her voice failed her. Her body yet again failed her as her fear returned, coursing through every fiber of her body like a paralyzing agent. The Beowolf's figure descended from the air at the mysterious warrior. Its efforts were in vain as the boy rolled out of the way unscathed. This gave Ruby some relief however slight it may have been.

The beast continued its attack while the boy dodged every one of its strikes with ease. What was odd was that he wasn't reaching to draw his weapon to end this barrage of teeth and claws. Still the boy continued to evade harm without use of his weapon. But it all came to an end when he stumbled backwards over an exposed root in the ground, falling unceremoniously to the ground below.

The Beowolf finally had its opening and did not waste it. The beast leapt straight at the fallen boy, who despite his current situation did not express any fear. The Beowolf was upon him and Ruby's eyes widened with terror at the boys inevitable demise. She couldn't watch and swiftly turned away, bracing herself for the cries of pain that were soon to follow from the fallen warrior.

The screams never came, only… laughter? Ruby was beyond scared and on the verge of having a heart attack and all she could her was laughter? She cautiously looked back to the scene to find the Beowolf gently licking at the boy's face while he sat against the tree laughing. Finally the boy found his voice sputtering through his laughter.

"Ok, ok enough, cut it out, I'm glad to see you too. Sit boy." He commanded the beast, which to Ruby's surprise and confusion readily complied. The boy paused for a moment and started scanning the forest around him, stopping when his gaze met Ruby's direction. "You can come out now." He called out, a small grin appearing on his face.

Ruby slowly revealed herself from her hiding place. She was met with the stares of the boy and the creature focused on her. She was beyond confused. At that moment her quickly growing number of conflicting emotions overwhelmed her, sending her into mental shutdown. She fainted collapsing to the leaf littered ground below.

**A/N: Well I promised an early chapter didn't I? I just never said when. Yes its pretty short compared to the last couple of chapters but I think the first Part of each arc is pretty short. So be honest. Did the beginning make you feel? was it emotionally touching. Personally I like the parts of the story like that the most. So much emotion. Go on and drop a review if you want to voice your opinion. If this didn't tug a few heart strings then I need to do better. That or you guys are some cold individuals. Weiss Cold. No not even I can resist the crappy puns.**


	7. Chapter 5

**Petals Scatter Pt 2: The Big Bad Beowolf**

As I walk through the Emerald Forest heading back to the cliff side, I couldn't help but wonder 'How do I always find myself in these kinds of situations?' I've had quite a few but this one easily tops them all.

Not only had a secret that I was hoping to keep hidden for at least the first year been discovered, but not five minutes later do I find myself slowly trekking back to Beacon carrying an adorable young girl, who had passed out due to said discovery, in my arms with my pet Beowolf following behind.

She was cradled in my arms like she was nothing more than an infant. I could feel her every breath as she rested contently against my chest. They were calm and steady at the moment. She was without a doubt the living definition of peace and innocence. I feel her shift slightly in my arms, almost burying her face into my right shoulder. "Mom" she sighed as she rested in her new position.

It was my turn to be shocked beyond belief tonight as this fragile girl softly whispered that one word. I stop myself for a moment to look down at her, a smile coming to my face. Soon I resume my steady pace back to the school.

A couple minutes later we reach the forest entrance. As I was about to break the tree line, a certain red and black clad girl stirred from her rest. Her lidded eyes slowly opened revealing her silver orbs, as they stared straight at me.

"Welcome back" I quietly whisper to her. I can see the confusion in her expression as she realized that she was being carried bridal style through the forest by yours truly. "You passed out a few minutes ago and I couldn't just leave you there." I explain hoping to lessen her confusion.

"Oh… Thank you." She tiredly replied, obviously still regaining her energy. I walked her over to a nearby tree and sat her down. There was a moment of silence before anymore words were traded. The wind rustled through the trees as we waited.

"So…" I say finally breaking the near dead silence. "I don't believe we have been properly introduced. I'm Ace. Ace Wolfblade, leader of Team: AZRE at your service. And what might your name be?" I inquire.

"Ruby... My name's Ruby Rose." She answered meekly.

"Ruby… That's a wonderful name. Rare like the very stone and equally as beautiful."

"Wh-what?" She asked seeming quite flustered.

"Huh? Oh sorry. Just thinking out loud. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No it's fine, I'm just not used to receiving such complements from strangers." She blushed.

"Didn't we just introduce ourselves? I would hardly think we qualify as strangers. But I do see your point. This is only our first meeting after all." More silence. "So you're the girl that's the talk of Vale, huh?"

"The talk of Vale?"

"Youngest student to be accepted into Beacon in all of history, two years ahead of her time, people are going to talk."

"It was no big deal really. Just got lucky I guess, ya know?"

"Luck is hardly the word for it." I object.

"Well I get to go to school with my big sister so that's pretty lucky."

"I suppose so, but luck doesn't get you into Beacon, skill does."

"Yeah I was pretty excited either way. First day was rough though." She frowned.

"I can tell, you're the girl who exploded by the Schnee girl."

"Oh… you heard about that too?" She asked embarrassed.

"I saw that, I was there." I reply with a slight chuckle. "So why don't you tell me a little bit more about yourself?" She seemed to recoil slightly at the suggestion.

"I don't even know where to begin." She said fidgeting with her hair.

I think for a moment. "How about you introduce me to your weapon?" I suggest. This actually brought some excitement to her eyes.

"Okay," She smiled as she got up and retrieved her weapon from its resting position on her back. She activates its release form and the small red slab of metal unfolded into a a massive black and red combat scythe. "This is my sweetheart, Crescent Rose." She beamed.

"Now that's an impressive weapon. Did you make it?"

"Of course. All students at Signal forge their own weapons."

"Signal? You went there too?"

"Wait you went to Signal as well?" She asked with surprise.

"Sure did. Never saw you or your sister though. I would have remembered that gold mane and your face."

"Wait. How do you know what my sister looks like if you never met her?"

"I saw you and her bickering with those two other girls. You four talk very loudly."

"Sorry about that." She began poking her fingers together.

"No your fine."

"So you went to Signal too. Did you make your weapon there too?"

"No, I smithed my weapon before I even went there. My family runs a long line of blacksmiths and I happen to be the next extension."

"You get to make weapons for a living!? That's so cool!"

"It has its advantages. This is my first and most personal weapon, Lunar Fang." I explain as I draw my weapon from its sheath.

"Wow, is that a claymore with shotgun functionality?"

"Yes it is. You know your weapons well."

"I'm kind of a weapon nut." She confesses looking down at her feet.

"You uh, wanna hold it?"

"YES! I mean if it's ok with you." I place the blade in her hands and she practically gushes with excitement. I smile knowing my craftsmanship was being admired. I steal a look at the still unfolded scythe.

"Crescent Rose is pretty interesting. She's a High Caliber Sniper Scythe right? I noticed the clip at the handle. Pretty dangerous weapon for a young girl." I observe.

"Yeah Ozpin said the same thing. I even made it to where the blade can fold back for sweeping slashes."

"That's very ingenious of you. I don't think I would have thought of that." She hands back my weapon but stares at my back for some reason.

"What are those on your back?" Oh she spotted my katanas.

"Oh these? Those are my second crafted weapons. They're twin katanas. I call them Kokoro and Tamashii. It means Mind and Soul. Always together and perfectly balanced, yet still two separate blades forged from the same steel. They're capable of forming a twin blade by joining at the hilt."

"Why two completely different weapons?"

"Pays to be prepared I guess. I practice with all the weapons I've made. These are my favorites. Who taught you to use Crescent Rose?"

"My Uncle Qrow, he…"

"Qrow from Signal? He's your uncle? That man is a genius. No wonder you got accepted into Beacon with skill. He's a true master."

"Yeah he's pretty awesome. He taught me most of what I know. You should have seen us training against a pack of Beowolves, they were…" She stopped so suddenly as if she just had an epiphany. "Uh when I found you, you were fighting a Beowolf right?"

I was really hoping she had forgotten that little detail. Oh well, might as well get this over with. "Yes I guess I was, why?"

"What happened to it?" she asked getting increasingly nervous. "Is it…"

"Dead? No, he's right behind you." I point in the direction over her shoulder. She frantically turns her head to confirm this and finds the Beowolf indeed on the other side of the tree sleeping.

"AHH!" she screams briefly jumping into my arms. 'Again, really?' With her sudden outburst the beast awoke and made his way in front of us.

"Ruby, relax. He won't hurt you. Ruby this is Shadow. He's my… Pet." As if to confirm this Shadow immediately sat down revealing a blue collar and tag.

"P-Pet? How?" She questioned.

"*Sigh* It happened years ago. I was out hunting on my own when I came across an Ursa attacking a Beowolf. It looked like a fight for territory at first but on closer inspection the Ursa was picking on it because it had an injury making it an easy target. I could see that the Beowolf neither had the capability or the intent to fight back. The Ursa was attacking because the Beowolf couldn't protect itself. As a huntsman in training, I was taught to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. It was instinct really. Before the Ursa could end the Beowulf's life I charged in and cut it down. Shadow was that Beowolf." I stop and look at him for a second. I found a nearby cave and carefully brought him to it to avoid other attacks. He never once attacked. I ran home and brought some things to treat his wounds and some food."

"Why? Why would you risk your life to save a Grimm?" She asks with disbelief.

"In truth I really don't know what possessed me to do it. I guess I just felt there was something different about him." I pause and pet Shadow on the top of his head electing a tail wag. I came back every day for a week to feed him and nurse his wounds. The first days were awkward. He'd growl a little but wouldn't move. He hardly ate anything I brought him either. After a few days he stopped growling and ate more. Eventually he became much better than when I found him. On the last day something happened that changed our lives forever."

"When I arrived at the cave Shadow wasn't there. I left to look for him and that's when an Ursa came out of nowhere and attacked me. I was too surprised to draw my weapons. I was on the floor at the mercy of an Ursa in moments. Then Shadow came to my rescue. He lunged at the Ursa and butted it off of me. They began to fight and after a while the Ursa was losing. Shadow ended the fight a bite to the throat. He had repaid his debt. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now. We've been together ever since. Needless to say my parents were less than excited about housing a creature such as him, but in time Shadow grew on them he became just another part of the family."

"But he's Grimm." Ruby piped up. "All they have ever been known for is killing and evil." She stated in a matter-of –fact kind of tone.

"Things aren't always so black and white I guess. I don't believe there really is such a thing as beings of pure evil or good. Every creature has the potential for good and bad, Grimm are no exception. Would something pure evil save my life? I think not. We are told that Grimm are born without souls, but that's something we can neither prove or disprove. Even if he's the only one, I feel that Shadow does have a soul." I conclude.

Ruby looks down at Shadow, who is sitting right at her feet, and slowly reaches toward him. He complies by gently putting his muzzle into her hand. She smiles at him. "I guess so."

"Unfortunately now that you know my secret," I address her with a dead serious tone. "I'm afraid I can't let you leave."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hey everybody. Remember how I said I was only going to only post once a week? Well if you do then your probably wondering why I'm posting so early again. Well since it is October and Halloween is fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to include a Halloween Special to my story. But I have like seven chapters I want to post before I get to that particular special. With one a week that would be impossible. So for the length of October I will be ramping up production to hit the deadline. If all goes well I will have a chapter out every Monday/Wednesday and Friday ending with the special on Halloween. At least that's the plan. As for the special it won't have anything significant to the actual story. It's for fun. I just got the idea for it and I thought it was too good to pass up.**

**On another note, It has been brought to my attention that OC stories don't normally have a good reputation with the community, something I found out a little late. I sympathize with those who have the impression that most if not all of them are Over powered, God Modded, or absolutely boring. I would like to assure you that I will not be trying to do that at all with my characters. Characters that can win with ease against anything and everything are boring and it defeats the purpose of students going to a school to learn if they already know everything. If anything I hope my writing has shown that my OCs have reasonable limits like everyone else in the RWBY Universe. So if OCs really tick you off then you are entitled to your opinions. I will continue writing regardless.**

**Also if you have been reading you will notice that the chapter titles are no longer in the chapter selection tab and have been replaced by the number of the chapter itself. The Titles have been moved to the actual story. Why? Because I like making long chapter titles and the character limit sucks. So I have updated the current chapters and from now on the rest will follow suit.**

**Last but not least... Yay Shadow! I know that the idea has been done before if not to death but I've only read of one story that did that with a Beowolf so far. I wanted to do this from the moment I saw them in the show. In case you haven't figured it out I freaking love wolves. I've always wanted at least a hybrid as a pet and Shadow would be the name I would have picked (because I like the generic classics) if I ever got one. Don't like it, tough. He isn't going anywhere... Except maybe the V-E-T for his vaccination.**

**That about wraps up everything today so read on, review, and I will catch you guys on Friday. **


	8. Chapter 6

**Petals Scatter Pt 3: A Rose Blooms in the Moonlight**

"Wh-What!?" She practically screamed.

"I can't let you leave," I continue past her outburst. "Until you tell me what brought you out her so late at night." I finish calmly.

Ruby's expression had shifted from fear, to confusion, and ended on anger. Each face she made… Priceless.

"You should have seen the look on your face," I chuckle, trying but failing to hold back a grin. "You looked like you thought I was going to throw you in a pit of angry King Taijitus."

"You jerk!" She yells back slugging me in the arm. I know it was a bad joke but seriously, why did she have to hit so hard? She's definitely stronger than she looks. She almost dead-armed me through my armor. "You scared the life out of me!"

"I am serious though." I return in a continued calm tone. "I'm not going to harm you but I want to know why you came out here."

"Oh I just saw you walking into the forest from the cliff side so I came to investigate."

"No I mean, why are you out so late by yourself? Is there something bothering you?" I ask with genuine care.

"I… Uh… It's embarrassing." She replied, the nervousness returning in her voice.

"I'm not here to judge. You can tell me."

She didn't respond.

"Come on I'm wearing Grimm armor and keep a Beowolf as a pet, it can't be any worse than that."

"I… Had a nightmare. I came out to cliff to think." The young girl finally answered. Now we're cooking with dust. Something I actually wouldn't recommend doing if you value your life.

"Nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of Ruby. We all have them from time to time. Mind telling me why it's distressing you?" Again, silence. She just looked down avoiding eye contact. This was obviously more than a simple nightmare.

"Ruby this dream is obviously hurting you. I want to help you but I can't do much if you don't let me. If you don't want to tell me I understand but please, tell somebody. Anybody. If you don't, this will only continue to haunt you."

"I lost them…" she started, eyes still transfixed on the ground. "I lost them all and I couldn't do anything to stop it." Tears formed in her silver eyes.

"What, what did you lose?" I question carefully.

As we sit down at the base of the tree she begins to detail her dream. It wasn't pretty to say the least. She told me of the woman leaving her. How everything she loved and cared about were ripped from her life as she could only watch, powerless to prevent it. How she was all alone. It was tragic. She finished as the dream had ended and she was on the verge of tears, but she was trying so hard to hold them back.

"Ruby, I'm sorry. That's a lot to deal with, especially for a young girl." She nods in agreement.

"Ruby, don't hold back your emotions."

"W-what?" She squeaked. "I'm, I'm fine, really." She said stubbornly, putting on the saddest smile I've ever seen.

"Ruby you're not fooling anyone, especially me. If you were fine we wouldn't be here right now. The look on your face says it all. I know you're trying to be strong, but in the end you're only going to hurt yourself more." I turn her to face me. "So let it all out, it's okay. Cry all night if you have to. I'll stay here to help you through. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, then allow me to offer my own."

That did it. The dam that she had put against her tears broke as they started to fall from her eyes. She broke into a soft cry that quickly intensified in strength and volume. I pull her closer for the comfort I promised. She accepted it without hesitation, wrapping her small arms around my left arm and burying her face into my shoulder. She clung on to it as if she was hanging on to life itself. Tears streamed down her face and onto my arm, but it didn't matter. This was the way it should be for her sake.

Her cries were muffled by my arm but only slightly. She was truly giving it her all. I move my free arm behind her, planting it on her back, rubbing small circles of comfort. We sat there like that for some time. Ruby's cries started to lessen as she began to settle down, her loud wailing turning into soft sobs. She released her hold on me.

"Feel better?" I ask with a warm smile.

She nods gently. "T-Thank you." She sniffles.

"No problem. Ruby, who was the woman in the beginning of your dream?"

"My… my mother. She was a Huntress and she would always go on important missions. One day she never came back. We found out she was killed in action. I didn't want to believe it but it was true. I lost her." She sobbed.

"So your nightmare might have something to do with your mother's passing. The pain you felt was so great you never wanted to feel it again. But now that you're here at Beacon you have a team and you fear losing your friends."

"I don't want to lose someone like that ever again" She choked out. "It hurt more than anything I've ever felt before."

"Ruby in our line of work we all face a very real danger of harm. You know this very well. We don't all come back." That probably wasn't what she wanted to hear as her mouth formed an even deeper frown. "But that is why we are here. To learn and become stronger, not only for ourselves but for those around us. Your teammates are no exception. As you learn and grow they will too. You all seem like a capable team. They won't be leaving you for a very long time. I know it. And I tell you what; I promise that I won't leave either. One more person to stick by your side."

"I just don't want to fail them as a leader. I've never led anyone before and now I have three. I'm scared that I'm going to mess up. Aren't you scared too?"

"I am, it's a great responsibility I never dreamed of having. And while I worry that I may make a bad decision, I trust the strength of my team and they seem to trust me. Ozpin gave you a tremendous burden Ruby. He wouldn't do that if he didn't think you could do it."

"He told me something like that a few days ago, after Weiss told me she wasn't exactly pleased with me being leader. She has trained and studied hard to be a leader. I got it through dumb luck."

"You have so much skill and potential, it's what brought you to Beacon two years ahead of schedule. Ozpin giving you this position is his way of teaching you responsibility. Weiss knows what it means to be a leader. You still need to learn. Besides, why do you care what she thinks about the situation anyhow?"

"Because I think I'm scared of failing her the most. After our rough start I wanted to make sure I could prove to her that I belonged here, that I wasn't some incapable child. I don't know why but after my talk with Ozpin she told me she thought that I could be a good leader. I don't want to make her regret that. I'm trying to do my best at being a good leader but I… I don't know if I can do this." She starts breathing unevenly. "I want to so badly but it's hard and it scares me. I don't want to fail and I don't want to lose them. I don't want to lose Weiss."

"Why is it so important to you to please someone who from day one only saw you as a hazard?"

"We're friends now, I think, and I'm her teammate. I know that she can be cold sometimes," I shift my head. "Ok a lot of the time but deep down I know she has a heart. I know she does, and I think she just has a hard time showing her emotions around others. But I think she opened up enough to be my friend. I really admire her I guess. She's smart and talented, and I'm really glad she let me be her friend in the end. But I don't want her to shut me out again. I want to be a good friend and leader for her. I just don't know if I can."

"You really care for her that much huh?"

"Mhmm."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Just keep doing the very best that you can and I'm sure she will be proud to call you her friend and leader. Just give her time and get better every day. For her."

"You're right." She finally smiled with new found determination, her very soul flickering in her eyes. "I'm going to be the best leader ever, for her, for everyone. No giving up. I can't fail them so I won't."

"I'm sure you can do it. Now I only have one last thing to figure out."

"What's that?"

"Well while I was carrying you, you muttered something to me that I don't understand. You called me… Mom. What's that about?"

"I dunno. I guess you just kinda made me feel comfortable, safe like Mom did."

"You… You're comfortable around me? Even though I wear this? It kinda has the opposite effect on people."

"Uh huh, it's super cool. I like it. It makes you look like… I dunno, a hero."

"You're the only one who has ever said that. Thank you."

"Well you're a nice person and a good friend."

"Friend?"

"You promise you won't leave me?"

"I swear it on my blade; I will always be there when you need me."

"Then we're best friends." She yawns signaling it was time for her long overdue rest. She was probably beyond exhausted. She tried to get up but stumbled a little bit.

"Here I'll take you home. You get some rest. You'll need it to keep your promise."

She nods sleepily. "Thanks again. Oh and your secrets safe with me." She pets Shadow one more time. Soon she fell asleep where she sat. We could all use some rest.

"Shadow, fade." And with that Shadow left back to his hiding spot for the night. I carefully lift the sleeping leader back into my arms and proceed back to Beacon.

When I reached the door I knocked by kicking it to stir someone to open the door. Not a few seconds later, who should be standing there but big sister Yang herself.

"I believe she belongs to you."

*Gasp* "Ruby! Where has she been? I woke up and when I notice she wasn't in her bed I woke everyone else up. The others are worried." She paused looking at Ruby. She could tell that she had been crying and her look of worry changed to a look of rage. Her eyes literally turned red and her hair was on fire. Blake came to the door with Weiss not too far behind her. The young heiress was first to speak.

"Ruby!" She quietly shouted, not wanting to wake the girl.

"Here." I direct my words to the surprisingly concerned girl, placing Ruby in her arms. She takes her up to her bed. Most hazardous bunk beds ever. Yang's fury still hasn't subsided and it's starting to scare me.

"YOU!" She yells pointing at me. In a flash of gold I was smashed into the neighboring wall with a fist poised to punch my lights out. 'I'm in trouble.'

"Why was she crying!? What did you do to her!? I swear if you did anything to hurt her I will end you!"

Forget about Matt's eruptions. This girl's rage rivaled a supernova.

"Well!?"

"I didn't do anything to harm her. I'm not a monster despite my appearance."

"Don't lie to me!" The heat of her fire was intensifying. I'm not even sure she's capable of rational thought right now she's so angry.

Suddenly a hand appeared on her shoulder. It was Blake's. "Yang calm down for a moment and at least hear him out." Finally a rational person. Of course that's what I thought until she flashed me a glare that told me that told me I better have a good explanation or she might even help the fiery blonde.

"She had a nightmare." They both look at each other than back to me with confusion. "She went to the cliff to think and clear her mind and she happened to spot me entering the Emerald Forest."

"What were you doing out there?" the ebony haired girl asked.

"I like long moon light walks in the woods." I reply with sarcasm. Although that's not technically false. I do like the night life. "Anyway she followed me and one thing led to another and we talked. That's all. She told me about her dream and we talked."

"So why was she crying?" The blonde brawler asked anger still evident in her tone.

"Because that dream hurt her more than you can imagine. There was so much pain in her and it was destroying her, and I couldn't bear to let that happen. So I told her to let it out, for her sake. She cried and she cried for a long time. I guess it's partly my fault she cried but I did it to help her, not hurt her. If you don't believe me you can ask her in the morning. Right now she deserves a good, peaceful night's sleep. She's going through a lot."

There, hopefully I would not have to suffer the fiery wrath of the- "Oof." Or maybe I would. I feel a restrained but powerful punch to my gut as I'm dropped to the ground in pain. Pains good though. Pain means I'm alive.

"Consider that a warning." Her eyes were no longer red, but her usual lilac purple and a small grin escaped across her still serious face. "Just so you know what will happen if you do hurt her."

"I'll remember that… Ow." I clutch my gut trying to collect the air that was knocked out of me.

"You better, cuz that's only a small taste of the pain I'll give ya if you ever harm my baby sister."

Blake helps me to my feet and returns to the dorm room. Yang still stood there looking at me, her expression softening.

"Hey sorry about punching you like that. I just want to protect her that's all." She said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Oh don't worry about it. I understand. I'm kinda use to being smashed by Matthew's Iron Fist."

"Thanks for looking after my little sis. As you heard I'm her older sister Yang."

"It was my honor. I'm Ace. You have a wonderful leader there you know. She really cares about you guys."

"That's Ruby. Despite her speed she's pretty slow to make friends, but she really does care about others. Sometimes more than herself."

"I can relate to that."

"So what did she dream about?"

"It's not my place to say. I will say this though. Make sure you're always there for her, all of you, cause if you don't, I will be the one giving the pummeling's. I don't have many friends myself but I take care of the few I do have."

"Imma hold you to that. Night Wolfie" She ends returning to her room.

"Night Yang, Ruby."

And with that it was time for me to retire to my own room. Thank dust it's the weekend.


	9. Chapter 7

**Forging Bonds: Friendship Strengthens**

This is pure torture. I would rather give a piggy back ride to an Ursa while it bit off my head than endure this. It's still going? For the love of Remnant make it stop!

Professor Port decided to grace us with yet another one of his countless self-praising hunting tales. Today's story involved him taking on a Nevermore with a pick-axe and one of the beasts feathers. Picture that for a moment if you will. I thought we were supposed to be taking Grimm Biology not Tall Tales of Professor Port 101. Hmm, maybe he _should_ write a book on it. I'm sure all the insomniacs out there would get some sleep after a couple of pages.

But in all seriousness, we get like twenty minutes of actual lecture and the rest of the class turns into story time. I understand being proud of your work but you don't have to beat us over the head with it… Unless you're like me and make weapons, which are meant for that in some cases, but even still. Seriously I would be fine with the occasional story but at least one a day rubs the glamour of it all right off really quickly.

Most students were struggling to stay awake as the story droned on, while others were communicating with their friends via their scrolls. I am trying with all my might not to put my fist trough the table. Then there was Matt who was completely entranced by the veteran Huntsman's tale. Only Matthew could withstand the constant barrage of stories and still find them entertaining. If anything he's getting ideas. This school is going to change him, for better or for worse is to be determined.

As Port's story drew to a close the other students snapped out of whatever they were doing instead of listening to his prattle.

"We're all out of time for today. Review your notes on Death Stalker anatomy and keep up with your training. Class dismissed." Finally.

My team meets up in the hallway to return to our dorm for the day. Matt was going on about a level in one of his role-playing games for the game console he brought with him to Beacon to play on his down time.

Speaking of which, ever since our team was formed, we really hadn't had any time to sit down and get to know each other any better. Matt and I know pretty much all there is to know about each other but we know very little about our new friends and vice versa. We know their names but not the past behind them. I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious as to what _their_ stories could reveal. I think it's high time I called a friendly team bonding session.

As we entered our shared room, and before anyone could be left to their own vices, I get all of their attention. "All right team, it's time for a very important team meeting." Everyone turns to face me.

"Oh, oh, are we getting a dangerous mission from Ozpin?" Matt asks bursting with excitement.

"I think it's a little too early for us to be getting such missions yet Matt." Dez said evenly to his partner.

"Dez is right Matt we just got here." I tell Matt, the hammer wielder drooping with disappointment. "No the meeting is for the betterment of our team and friendship. We finally have some free time so I thought it would be nice if we could just sit down and learn more about each other. We're going to be working with each other for four years so by learning more about each other will help us function better as a team in the long run." I explain, giving proper reasoning.

"I guess that makes sense." Zweii states, apparently convinced by my argument.

"Hmm, if you think that's what is best than okay." Dez said quite reluctantly. Something is troubling him about this. What I do not know.

"What about you Matt?" I turn to face him. It's now I notice he hasn't moved or spoken since the idea was pitched. His smile was gone and his eyes were focused on anything but the people in the room. Something's not right with him too. "Matt?"

"Ace can I talk to you for a bit?" he inquired somberly.

"Uh yeah, of course. If you guys will excuse us for a moment." They nod and we step out into the hallway. "Okay Matt what's up? You look like you're about to lose it."

"I'm just worried ok?"

"Worried about what? I've know you for a long time and pretty much know you inside and out. You've got nothing to hide so what's got you so worked up?"

"I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about you."

'Oh. Right.'

"Ace you're my best friend and your right. We've known each other for a long time. I also know and accept your secrets, but I'm worried about what they will think if they find out."

"Matt, thank you. I appreciate your concern. It means a lot that you care that much. But this is just to learn more, not all, about our teammates. In time I'll let them know, but now is not that time. Even if they find out and cast me away, I still have you by my side, right?"

"Always." We both smile.

Matt's right though. People are always nice until they find the one thing that makes them turn their backs on me. Because of that I have to be careful about how much I let them know.

We return to the room to get the meeting started. "Okay we're back. So before we get this started I want to address a concern Matt brought up. We are just here so that we may learn more about our team. If there is anything that you are willing to share or feel is important than please share. On the other hand if there is something that you are too uncomfortable or wish to remain secret then you do not have to tell us. Are we understood?" All heads nod. "Alright then, let's get started. I will even go first as a model." We all sit down in a circle on the floor.

"My name is Ace Wolfblade, I'm 17 years old but who here isn't, right? I was born in the late of May. Easy stuff. I've lived in the rural part of Vale all of my life. My family runs a blacksmith forge. While I could have stayed home and continued living a safer life working there, I felt that I could give more to the world. I naturally like to help people so when I factored it all together, becoming a Huntsman was obvious. You all already know about Shadow so I think that about does it. And that is the Life and Times of Me volume one. Alright Matt, your turn."

Before he can start Zweii interrupts. "Wait, that's all? That's all you want from us?"

"Pretty much. Just some simple stuff followed by where you're from and the reason why you came here in the first place. Not much but I think it's a good start. Go ahead Matt."

"I'm Matthew Erthanos. I'm also 17 and was born in February. I lived in the city area of Vale until my family moved us out to the rural area to escape the noise of the city. Dad always wanted to have a nice home in the country side. As for why I wanted to become a Huntsman…"

Zweii interrupts again. "Let me guess. You always wanted to bash the Grimm into non-existence right?"

Matt looked down rather dejectedly. "No not really." He confessed. "I originally didn't want to hunt monsters. It wasn't something I ever saw myself doing."

Zweii and Dez sat there dumbfounded. Dez spoke next. "So what made you change your mind?"

"Ace did. Shortly after we moved to the country, my sister and I went walking through the nearby woods. We were so used to living in the safety of the city that we forgot about the danger of the Grimm. We were attacked by a huge Nevermore. It must have been as big as a small car. It pinned me to a tree with one of its feathers and tried to take off with my little sister Ashlynn. I felt so helpless as I watched my own sister being taken away from me. Then Ace came to our rescue. I don't even know where he came from but I didn't care. With some quick work he freed my sister and killed that cursed bird. My sister lives because Ace was there. While I was happy about that, I also hated it. I hated myself for being so powerless. If Ace hadn't happened to be around my sister would be dead. I made a vow that day to become a Huntsman So I wouldn't have to be so weak ever again. I didn't come here for fame or glory. I came here so that I could become stronger, so I could protect the ones I love with my own two hands." He finishes clenching is hands into fists.

"Wow. Sounds like you owe Ace a lot." Zweii states.

"Not as much as you think." They all turn their attention to me. "In truth I owe Matt more, but that's a story for another day. Zweii you're next."

"My name is Zweii Dragos and I'm 17. I was born in the middle of October in a small town in the North of Atlas, up in the mountains. The reason I came here is to prove myself and my worth."

"To who?"

"My family. My father's side of the family comes from a long line of warriors whose origins can be traced to since mankind first established the kingdoms. I wanted to be like them and carry on the tradition, but before I can do that I need to prove my strength and courage to be worthy for my father to pass down the torch. Call it a writ of passage."

"Even after you display skill in combat you still aren't good enough?" I ask with disbelief.

He nods. "He said that killing monsters wasn't enough. That there were some things that I needed to learn and experience before I was ready. He never told me specifically what they were, only that I would have to find the answers for myself but also that I wouldn't be able to do it alone. I'm here to figure out what he meant by that. If any place would be the place to start it's here."

"… That. Is. Awesome!" Matt exclaimed. "It's like an epic quest for a cryptic secret."

"Yes but this is serious Matt. It's not like one of your video games. This is a fight for my future and my family's honor."

"Doesn't make it any less cool."

"Alright that just leaves you Dez." I state drawing the other two's attention to the final member of our group.

"Alright. My name is Dezaryl Ravenhawk. I was born and raised in Mistral and my birthday is in June. As for why I'm here well, it's not really as exciting as any of your reasons. Before I came here I lived in Mistral with my family. We lived a pretty decent life there until a couple of years ago. We were housed in an apartment for the longest until one day changed all of that. There was an accident involving a small amount of Burn dust. The building went up in flames so fast. We weren't there when it happened but when we got back everything was gone. No one was killed but there were a few injuries. We lost everything in that fire. We had nowhere to go in Mistral so we moved here and started living with my Aunt and Uncle. Dad and Mom couldn't find work though and we needed the money bad. A friend of my Uncle taught me how to hunt and I eventually took unofficial jobs cleaning out Grimm."

"Like a mercenary." Matt chimed in.

Dez nods. "I had to support my family. So after a while I decided I would use some of the money to come here. I'm here to become a Huntsman so that I can support my family and get us back to way things used to be. I would do anything for them and if that means risking my life then so be it."

"That's a very noble reason for you to be here. You should be proud of yourself." Zweii says commending the young archer.

"No matter the reason why we are here, we all have something in common." I start. "We have each other now and we are going to work hard together to reach our goals. We are a team now and we don't have to do this on our own. As team leader and your friend, your goals become my goals, and I won't rest until we all reach them. Are you guys with me?" I ask trying to rally my troops.

"I'm in." Zweii confirms.

"You don't have to do that you know?" Dez says.

"But I want to. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Well if you really feel that way then I won't object. I'm all for it."

"Yes! This is going to be awesome! We are going to be the best team ever!" Matt fist pumps.

"Well I appreciate everyone's cooperation and enthusiasm with this little endeavor. I think by knowing exactly what we are all fighting for, it will make us that much stronger, so thank you for trusting me and everyone here with your goals. I think this went very well and leaves us with a nice starting place, so meeting adjourned."

Everyone gets up and disperses to their own activities. I walk to the door to leave.

"Where are you going?" Zweii asks.

"For a walk. See you guys later."

I walk up to the roof top of the dorm housing and look around. The view is wonderful. I gaze at all of Beacon as I think back to the meeting. My scroll interrupts with an alert telling me that I had received a message. From Matt.

_'__So when do you think you're going to tell them?'_

I text my reply.

_'__I don't know. Soon I hope.'_

Another message from Matt.

_'__Just be careful.'_

_'__I will. They're our teammates though. They deserve to know.'_

_'__Are you worried?'_

_'__I think you already know the answer to that. But I'm going to tell them everything. One step at a time.'_

_'__Hey remember when you said you owed me more?'_

_'__Yes.'_

_'__You don't really mean that do you? You saved me and my sister. I can never repay you for that.'_

_'__You never had to, but you already have. Anyone can save a life. Very few can give one.'_

_'__If you say so. See you when you get back."_

The message exchange ended leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

"If only more people were like you Matt. Then I wouldn't have to be worried." I mutter to myself. I look into the horizon one last time to see the sun setting. "I'll tell them all. Someday."

**A/N: Yeah not a lot for this chapter other than development but hey it's important. SO this chapter was originally going to be two separate parts but they were too short so now they are one. That is why I didn't post Monday and why I won't be posting this friday. Gives me more time to work on the next chapters and the special. I can't wait for that. So enjoy the story, drop a review or private message to tell me how I'm doing, fav and or follow if you really like it and see you wonderful people Monday.**


	10. Chapter 8

**Shattering the Mirror Pt 1: The Girl Inside**

Friday final came once more to end another week of lecture. The last class couldn't seem to go any slower. Ironic considering the lecture was headed by the green haired, hyper energetic Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck. I don't know what he drinks everyday but I hope to all that is good and decent that Matt or Ruby never gets ahold of any of that substance, ever.

Oobleck was finishing up a lecture on the Human-Faunus Civil War, a sore subject for everyone. What a pointless war. Lives being thrown away over the prejudice and hate between two equal factions of people. If they would have put all that energy to work killing the Grimm instead of people, Grimm would probably be on the verge of extinction by now. Instead we pushed ourselves once more onto the path of annihilation. We were destroying ourselves faster than the Grimm ever could. We truly are our own worst enemies at times aren't we?

With his lecture finished Oobleck hastily gave us our assignments and dashed out of the room faster than we could blink.

_'__Decaf man. Decaf.'_

After gathering our things my team left the room to return to our dorm. As we walk through the halls I see Weiss storm toward the training room. She was scowling more than usual, if that's even physically possible, and despite her ice cold character she looked like she would set you ablaze just by staring at you. Clearly something has frustrated her to no end. I was torn about what I should do.

_'__Ace this is none of your business. Just leave her alone so you can get some rest.' _My mind reasoned with me.

_'__When has that ever stopped you before? Isn't this what you live to do?' _Another part of my conscious reminds me.

_'__I think we should make an exception on this one. I don't feel like being buried in a coffin of ice.'_

_'__But she needs help. We have to do something.'_

Ugh, and this is why I never talk to the voices in my head. It never gets anywhere and I'm left with a headache. Dispelling the less than useful voices of my conscious, I decide to go aid her.

"Hey guys you go ahead. I need to check on something." I tell my team as I break from the group.

"Uh-Oh, duty calls huh?" Matt says, completely aware of the business I had to attend to. He knows me and my helpful nature to well. I nod and leave to find the fuming heiress.

I find her venting her frustration on an unfortunate combat drone, maliciously impaling its chest with Myrtenaster. The training dummy had long since fell to the furious fencer, but her onslaught still did not cease. Maiming a robot was probably not enough for her but better it than an actual person.

"I think it's dead." I chide from the doorway. She turns and sets her icy glare on me. As intimidating as it is I must remain undeterred, on the outside at least. "How about you fight something a little more challenging? Like me perhaps?"

"Hmph, your funeral." She replies harshly.

We take our places on either side of the training ground and ready our weapons. I choose speed over power to keep up with Weiss's rapid attacks and ready Kokoro and Tamashii.

She makes the first move, sliding across the field as if it were made of ice. Her blade was aimed for my chest but I would not allow her rapier to find its mark. I evade to the left and swing connecting my blade with nothing but air. She had already retreated back to her starting position.

I make the next move charging toward her for my attempted strike. She turns the Dust chamber switching to ice dust and firing several projectiles to impede my advance. I repel them and continue farther only to be pushed back by a glyph. Direct attack weren't going to cut it if I wished to land a blow.

I charge forward again and as expected she activates another glyph. That will not work twice. I jump over the barrier and kick her back staggering her a bit. I swing at her hoping to score some hits while she was recovering. No such luck as she back flips out of the way in time to avoid damage.

She returns to the offensive executing several swift thrusts, all of them I deflect with my katanas. I parry her final strike and she retreats once again outside of my range. I need to get close to strike but every time I get near her she slides away. I rush her for the third time but instead of stopping me by deploying another glyph she strikes the ground with her sword sending a wave of ice to intercept me. I don't have much time to react. I dodge to the right avoiding the wave but falling in to her trap. She shoots a single blue bolt in the direction I would soon be. Unable to adjust my course her plan succeeds and the bolt makes contact freezing my right arm. The sheer coldness of the ice makes me drop my sword as it fully encases my appendage.

Satisfied with the result she glides over to my position ready to end the fight. With one arm immobilized I have lost half of my means of defending against any strike effectively for long and I can't use Lunar Fang since it requires two hands for a proper defensive stance. Weiss is close to striking when I make a realization. When she thrusts her rapier I turn and use my frozen arm as a shield, absorbing the impact and the tip of her weapon into her own ice. She's stuck and is unable to retreat without abandoning her weapon. I jerk her weapon out of her hand and rotate my body to deliver a swift punch to her torso with my free arm sending her backwards and onto the ground simultaneously dropping our auras to the red. The battle ends in a draw. I walk over to her and offer her assistance. She hesitates before finally letting me help her off the ground.

"Was that enough to _cool_ you off?" I ask with the least amount of humor I could manage.

"I suppose it will suffice." She answers while dusting off her combat skirt. "Uh your arm?"

"Hmm? Oh!" I reply as it dawned on me that I completely forgot about my frozen limb considering it was now numb from the cold after the fight ended. "On sec." I punch straight down shattering the ice and freeing my arm. I flex my fingers to regain feeling through the thawing muscles. "Ah much better. So wanna tell me what's got you so steamed princess or do I have to start guessing?"

"I hardly believe that's any of your business either way." She defends crossing her arms.

"And I hardly believe that's any way to act when someone offers their help." I reply in an even tone already annoyed by her attitude.

"I don't need your help. I never asked for it in the first place." She retrieves her weapon and walks past me towards the door.

"But you want it." I say unmoving. I hear her footsteps stop as she froze where she stood. 'Gotcha' I mentally fist pump.

"How dare you! All I want is for you to stop acting like those childish, irritating teammates of mine!" She snaps, quickly covering her mouth knowing she had been caught.

"Ah distention in the ranks I see. Thank you for sharing."

"That was an accident!"

"Please, I don't believe the Schnee standards would allow for mistakes let alone admitting to one. You wanted someone to know but you're too prideful to openly admit it."

"I… You… Oooh!" She struggled to form a retort.

_'__Oh this is going to be fun.'_

She dropped her protest and glared. "So what, you want me to talk about it?"

"Yes that's kind of the point of this effort." I deadpan. "But only if you want to, but not here or now."

"And what are you proposing?"

"My dorm, 11:00 tonight. Just think about it." With that I pick up my weapon and leave.

Back at the dorm I find Matt and Dez playing some competitive fighting game on their scrolls, while Zweii was studying Oobleck's notes. He looks over his book as I close the door.

"How did it go?" my partner asks with half interest.

"All things considered, better than I expected." I walk over to Dez. "Hey can I borrow you for a second?"

"Sure just give me a second to beat Matt."

"Watch out for his six button finisher." I warn.

"Wha-" Dez looked down in disbelief as his character was taken out by the combo I warned him about. "How did you…?"

"He does that every time he's about to lose." He glares at Matt as he returns a smirk.

"So what's up?" he asks with a sigh.

"We may have a guest over tonight."

"Okay so what does that have to do with me?"

"Your semblance, Mental Augmentation, I may require its use."

"What'cha thinkin?" I go over the idea with him explaining the details. "I think I can do that, but what's in it for me?"

"How about twenty lien?"

"Hmm."

"And I'll teach you a hidden combo I know to beat Matt."

"Deal."

"Perfect."

As I go over my note from Oobleck's lecture I glance at the clock in our room. The clock read 10:58. Weiss still wasn't here. I actually wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show up. The clock reads 11:00 and she hasn't arrived. With a sigh I look back down to my text to start the next page, when I hear a knock on the door. I open it to find Weiss standing outside with her usual scowl. Her expression softens after a few seconds.

"…You actually came."

"I almost didn't, now are you going to let me in or are you going to keep standing there like a dunce?"

I step aside to comply and she enters the room. "Well I guess just make yourself at home. Matt and Zweii are out for the count after their training session." I gesture to the sleeping half of my team on the far side of the room. "Dez here will be assisting me tonight." He gets up from his chair and gives Weiss a slight bow. She sits on Dez's bed which has been switched with Zweii's for the sake of the plan.

"Your room is much more organized than ours." She observes.

"Thanks. Tea?"

"I would think that coffee would be more appropriate"

"Not for this it's not. If this is going to work you need to be relaxed." She shoots me a puzzled look. "Do you know why I asked you to come here so late?"

"I was actually wondering that, yes."

"It's because you and I need to be asleep for our little chat."

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"You are not the easiest person to talk to about, well anything actually. As such I needed to make sure that we got to the root of the problem through a different approach. Dezaryl's semblance is perfect for the job."

"My ability grants me a very large field of control over the mind. The less the people I try to use it on resist, the longer I can use it without draining much aura. What Ace wants you to do is to not resist when I use one of my abilities, one I have dubbed Mind Share. This technique allows me to connect two minds, usually my own and an ally, to each other to form a shared mental state between the two people."

"I still don't see how any of this fits together. Are you going to be able to help or not?"

"That depends on how much you are willing to trust me." I reply. "You came here so you must have the slightest trust."

"So you're going to use this technique on me?"

"Yes. I know this may seem very intrusive, which is why I'm offering you a chance to back out. Once we start there is no turning back."

Weiss is silent for a moment. "… This isn't some trick for you to do something humiliating is it?"

"Well so much for trust. No despite what you may be thinking this is to assist you and nothing else."

"…I suppose I came this far, and you did help Ruby so I guess you wouldn't lie, but if I wake up and I find your team has done something I swear I will-"

"_I_ will personally see that they are properly and severely punished for their insubordination. Dez let's start this quickly."

He nods and I take my place on my bed. Weiss lays down in Dez's. He walks up to Weiss and concentrates on her.

"What it's not like I can just fall-" Dez places two fingers on the center of her temple and she drops into a deep sleep. He does the same for me and I drift into sleep.

* * *

><p>Weiss<p>

* * *

><p>It's dark. I can't see anything but black. Where am I? There's nothing around me. How am I even standing? There's no floor yet I'm not falling. Is this really a dream? Everything feels so real. I can feel my own cloths against my skin.<p>

I look around and realize that Ace isn't here. I have no idea where he is or where to start looking. I see a door. Should I open it? I don't see any other options. I open the door and walk through it to find a snow covered field. The door behind me disappears and it starts to snow. Wait I hear something. It sounds like humming. Where is it coming from? There's nothing around but…

"Ugh." What was that? Something just hit my shoulder. I brush my shoulder to touch something cold. The remains of a snowball. What else could it of been? More importantly where did it come from? "Ace? Ack!" That one hit me on top of my head.

As I look around I notice something odd. The snow isn't actually falling, but rather drifting in place indefinitely. This whole place is just ridiculous.

I still can't find out where the humming or the snowballs are coming from. I look up and find a rather large snowflake floating in the air. There's something on it.

"Hello princess. Looking for me?"

It's Ace. As relieved as I am to find him I can't help but feel annoyed he's goofing around in my mind.

"You dunce. Get down here right now." I call to him.

"Aw, come on. You have to admit this is pretty cool. I've always wondered what it would be like to drift in the air like a fragile snowflake. It's so soothing."

"Ace!"

"Geronimo!" He shouts as he jumps down. He lands in front of me and frowns. "You really aren't any fun are you?"

Ugh the nerve. "Where are we?"

"We are in a unified enhanced dream state. Currently I would say we are in your territory. Heads up!"

"Wha-, Ah!" Another snowball in the face. "My mind is not a playground!"

"Fair enough." Everything fades back to black. "Now before we start some ground rules." He's suddenly so much more serious. "Our minds are now linked so we have equal access to everything in each other's head, feelings and memories included. We may access these things through doorways. However not all doors are meant to be opened. While we have a lot of personal things out in the open, for no reason should we invade the most private of thoughts and secrets. We are here to solve the problem between you and your team and nothing else. That said there is really only one other rule. Nothing and I mean nothing that takes place or is learned here leaves this place. This is meant to be very private. Are we understood?"

"Yes." The confidentiality is definitely appreciated.

"All right then." A huge hallway of doors appears around us. "Let's begin."

* * *

><p>Ace<p>

* * *

><p>We walk through the hallway in silence observing the endless hallway of doors for a while. Either side was lined with doors leading to different parts of our combined subconscious.<p>

"So where are we going exactly?" Weiss asks breaking the silence.

"Beats me. Dez said that we will find what we are looking for when it appears before us."

"Really, a riddle? That's just typical. Your friend is starting to remind me of Blake." She says in disgust.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Because it is a bad thing! I know nothing about the girl and she refuses to talk about herself."

"Would you even care if she did?" I ask.

"Of course I would!"

"I rather doubt that."

"Why you insufferable…" She stops mid insult as we reach an abrupt end to the hallway with a lone door at the end. The door was much different than the rest. The entire thing was made of ice.

"I think we just found the answer to our riddle." We stand in front of it for a while observing it. "Well ladies first."

"Uh why me?"

"It's your door. Wouldn't want to intrude."

"You're in my mind; I think it's a little late to worry about invasion."

"Good point. Now open it."

She turns the knob and opens the door slowly. We walk in to what looks like a large bedroom.

"This is my bedroom back home."

"This is your room? This makes my room look like a closet."

"So what are we supposed to find here?" The bedroom begins to fade leaving nothing around us save one item. An elegant full body mirror.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Why a mirror? Does it mean anything?"

"Now you're asking the important questions. What did Dez say about mirrors again? Reflective objects… Reflect the way you view certain things, more often than not your own self-image."

"So I need to look into the mirror?"

"I guess so."

Weiss steps in front of the mirror to find what it was to reveal.

"What do you see?"

"Myself. There's something off about the reflection though."

I look into the mirror to try to find the anomaly. "You're frowning. Seems normal to me."

"No you dunce. My reflection doesn't change no matter what I do. I didn't even look at it like that."

"Now that you mention it that glare is a bit more heartless than your usual look."

"I don't like it. It's unsettling."

"Well you know what I see?" She shakes her head. "I see the same girl with the same look that drives away anyone that gets too close."

"That's not even close to being true." She dejects.

"Weiss, you can't even stand looking at yourself. Admit it. You hate the person you see every time you look into the mirror."

"I do not!" She yells.

"Yes you do!"

"I do not!"

"Then what is it Weiss? Why else would you not like it?"

"Because it's what I fear I have become!" A lone tear escapes her eyes. "I do hate it. I hate being so cold."

"I think we just found the root of the problem. It's you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This was a long one but as promised here is the next chapter on time. As you may have seen the perspective changed in the story. From here on out that will probably become more frequent. Writing for other characters is still tricky but I'm going to do my best as always. Also when the perspective changes it will always be marked by two lines with the indicated person between, unless it goes into third person anonymous in which case it will remain blank in between. So tell me how I did with Weiss and all that with a review. You don't even know how happy I was to recieve my first review ever. Truly awesome that's how. So until next time I bid you farewell and a good rest of the week. **


	11. Chapter 9

**Shattering the Mirror Pt 2: The Reflection Changes**

* * *

><p><p>

"Me?" the ivory haired girl asks in disbelief.

"Yes. You"

"I don't understand."

"Oh but you do. You said it yourself. You hate the being the one to push people away. You hate the way you see yourself so why should anyone else hate it any less?"

She stood there contemplating my words very carefully, looking for every ounce of truth she could accept.

"I guess I do kind of make it a point to drive people away." She admits.

"Let me ask you something. If you truly do hate being this cold and lonesome person, then why do you do it in the first place? There has to be a reason why you don't let people get close to you, so what is it?"

"I suppose it's because I don't know who to let in. Being the heiress to a multi-billion lien industry doesn't go unnoticed. I've had many people who claimed to be my friend. But those people were all liars. As far as they saw things, I was nothing more than the rich girl that could have anything they would ever want, and they tried to take advantage of that. They promised friendship and compassion but they never cared about me in the slightest. All they wanted was the perks of a rich girl. When I found out, I cut all ties with those self-serving degenerates and the Weiss everybody sees now was born."

"So you have an immediate distrust for anyone who tries to be friends with you because you don't believe that they will care for you at all either."

She nods slightly to answer. "How can I? I don't even know if I can trust in anybody now."

"Well that definitely explains why you have trust issues." Suddenly I gain an idea. 'Of course! Why didn't I realize this sooner?' I mentally kick myself for my incompetence. "Weiss look in the mirror again."

"I don't want to." She snaps back like a child throwing a tantrum.

"Weiss, please. I know it hurts but we aren't going to get any further unless we do some things that you may not like. So please just look, once more, I'm sure you will find something different."

She sighs but steps in front of the mirror again.

"What do you see?"

"The same thing. Myself, and nothing more. What did you honestly think would change?" She asks annoyed.

"You don't even know what you're looking for even when it's right in front of you. Look harder. Look past what you already see."

She looks again and tries to concentrate on the reflection, cringing at the constant cold stare she was returned with from her image. She's strong but I don't know how much she can actually take. I step up beside her.

"It's okay. We'll do this together."

"Won't you just get in the way?"

"This is _your_ mirror. I don't exist in how you see yourself. I know this is hard but I want you to know I won't make you do this alone. I know that you think if you are going to get through anything you have to do it by yourself, but you're wrong. You don't have to rely on your own strength all the time."

"I am a Schnee, we are required to be strong. We cannot under any circumstance show weakness."

"Asking for help from time to time is not a weakness especially when you know you need it. It takes a strong person to know when they are in need of help. It takes an even stronger person to admit they need help. And stronger still is the person who accepts it when they need it most."

"Even if that's true I still need to be the best I can be."

"You can't be the best if you're dead because you were to prideful to accept a helping hand. And for what it's worth, you coming to me for help definitely proves that you are an incredibly strong person. Now look." I almost command.

She sighs but returns to looking into the mirror. "Wait… I think I see something else."

"Good you're getting there. What is it?"

"It's me, but it's not the me from before. She's still here but behind her is another me." She stops and looks at me. "Do you see her?" I nod. I can see what she sees quite clearly. "Who is she?"

"Someone you forgot a long time ago. She's you before you stopped trusting others."

"How long has she been here, and why couldn't I see her before?"

"Weiss, you've always had that part of you deep inside. The part of you that is capable of love and trust. But that Weiss is scared and hides behind her own insecurities like a shield. Like a wall of ice to keep others away. You couldn't see her because you lost her and didn't know where to find her. But then you remembered what that side of you was like. By acknowledging she existed you brought her back closer to the surface."

The mirror begins to vanish leaving us to the darkness once more.

"Why did it disappear?" Weiss asks.

"Because it is of no use to us right now. We have other things to find. But I'm sure we haven't seen the last of that mirror."

"So where to now?"

"Well we're off to a pretty good start. Now that we have identified the underlining issue we just need to find the rest of the pieces of the problem."

"I hope there isn't much more. I can't stay here for the rest of my life." She scolds.

"Patience Weiss. We're going to get there step by step."

The room is gone but a door appears behind us.

"It seems the answers are starting to come to us."

We open the door and find ourselves in the middle of a forest. Before us is a temple. The temple of the Emerald Forest. But this time there are only three pedestals and they don't have chess pieces. Instead the objects seem quite random. A rose sits on the left side pedestal, in the middle a small black book, and finally on the right is a gold hair comb. Those all seem vaguely familiar.

"Well this is interesting." I say looking at the objects. Weiss walks to each of them and frowns.

"Hmph, not really. All these things are in inadequate condition." She remarks.

"Really? Do explain. What do you make of these objects?"

"What are you blind?" She scoffs. "The rose is nothing more than an immature bud. The book's cover is unreadable and most of the pages are blank. The few that aren't are as cryptic as the cover. And the comb is missing some teeth. They're all useless."

It's true. The objects are indeed in poor states. But that has to mean something. A rose that has yet to bloom, a mysterious book, and a rough and edged comb. I smile as I piece the objects together.

"I wouldn't say that. They're like that for a reason."

"And I assume you know what the reason is?"

"Because they're not useless. They are flawed. Something that you immediately find in everything you see. Immature, mysterious, and jagged. Does that remind you of anything?"

"My teammates." She says with realization.

"Exactly as you described them after we sparred. The mirror showed what you thought of yourself. The relics appear to show what you think of your team. Each item is a thing of beauty yet all you can see them for is their flaws. Because they are not perfect or do not seem desirable you show no interest in them. Ruby is young and immature, Blake is a walking enigma, and Yang is the rough and wild party girl. But is that all you really see?"

"Of course it is! The things they do are enough to test my patience every day. They may be skilled but their still infuriatingly imperfect."

"Well what about you? Do you see yourself as perfect? I certainly don't. You may be just as flawed as the rest of them. You're hate for yourself is a flaw, the coldness you show others is a flaw, even the scar on your face should remind you that you are far from perfection. I think you find the flaws so easily in others because you are constantly reminded of your own."

"Well what do you want from me? To just sit back and act as if nothing is wrong? To just ignore the blatant fact that I'm stuck with the most annoying people I can think of? Well it's not going to happen. Epically when I'm constantly reminded I'm on a team led by a child!"

The scene returns to the void. She needs to know the truth. She won't change if I leave things the way they are going.

"Weiss," I sigh conjuring one of my own doors. "Come with me. There's something I think you should see."

We enter the door and we end up in the forest once more, only this time it's dark. In front of us sits myself and Weiss's red clad leader.

"What's this place?" Weiss asks looking between the figures in front of us.

"One of my memories. This was the night Ruby had her nightmare. She told me some things that you should hear for yourself."

The memory starts to play out as Ruby begins to speak.

_"I just don't want to fail them as a leader. I've never led anyone before and now I have three. I'm scared that I'm going to mess up. Aren't you scared too?"_

Weiss watched as the memory continued being taken aback by the scene playing before her. Her leader was confessing her deepest fears. Fears that no child should ever have.

_"I am, it's a great responsibility I never dreamed of having. And while I worry that I may make a bad decision, I trust the strength of my team and they seem to trust me. Ozpin gave you a tremendous burden Ruby. He wouldn't do that if he didn't think you could do it."_

_"He told me something like that a few days ago, after Weiss told me she wasn't exactly pleased with me being leader._

The memory jumps slightly showing Weiss exactly the things I want her to hear and cutting out the minor details.

_"Why do you care what she thinks about the situation anyhow?"_

_"Because I think I'm scared of failing her the most. After our rough start I wanted to make sure I could prove to her that I belonged here, that I wasn't some incapable child. I don't know why but after my talk with Ozpin she told me she thought that I could be a good leader. I don't want to make her regret that. I'm trying to do my best at being a good leader but I… I don't know if I can do this. I want to so badly but it's hard and it scares me. I don't want to fail and I don't want to lose them. I don't want to lose Weiss."_

Weiss's expression softens at her leader's confession. "Ruby…"

_"Why is it so important to you to please someone who from day one only saw you as a hazard?"_

_"We're friends now, I think, and I'm her teammate. I know that she can be cold sometimes, ok a lot of the time but deep down I know she has a heart. I know she does, and I think she just has a hard time showing her emotions around others. But I think she opened up enough to be my friend. I really admire her I guess. She's smart and talented, and I'm really glad she let me be her friend in the end. But I don't want her to shut me out again. I want to be a good friend and leader for her. I just don't know if I can."_

_"You really care for her that much huh?"_

_"Mhmm."_

The memory ends and fades away. Weiss just stares at the spot where Ruby had been sitting.

"You're right you know. Ruby is a child, but she knows what is truly important when it comes down to it. She made me believe that you were someone worthy of all the effort she puts into being a good leader. Despite everything you have ever done to push her away, she continued to try because she saw the very best in you. She didn't care that you were cold, or that you constantly insult her. She didn't care about your wealth or who you were on the outside. She cared about the person she saw through all of that. To her you're not Weiss Schnee. You're just Weiss, her friend and teammate. She accepts you for who you are, flaws and all."

"I never knew she cared so much. I've been nothing but cruel to her and she still finds it in her to forgive and forget."

"Hard to believe I know. And yet the proof was shown right in front of your eyes. So can you accept her for who she is as she accepts you?"

"I don't know if I can."

"Why not?"

"Ruby is so much kinder than I am. All I have ever known is anger and loneliness."

Suddenly in a flash of white, the scene changes to a large stage. In the middle stood Weiss.

"Okay now I have to ask. Where are we now?"

Weiss stares at herself. "I remember this. This is one of my memories."

Music starts to play around us. It's slow and beautiful but at the same time disturbingly depressing. The Weiss on stage begins to sing.

_Mirror, tell me something,_

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

_Mirror, tell me something,_

_Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

_Fear of what's inside of me,_

_Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

_Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?_

_Save me from the things I see!_

_I can keep it from the world,_

_Why won't you let me hide from me?_

_Mirror, mirror, tell me something,_

_Who's the loneliest of all?_

_I'm the loneliest of all._

The song ended and the memory faded away like mine did.

"Weiss… That was beautiful. You never said you could sing."

"It wasn't something I was particularly proud about. That song is a constant reminder of how truly alone I felt. How I still feel. I don't even know if I can accept anyone anymore. Ruby was right when she said had a heart. But what good is it when it's made of ice and stone?"

"We're really not that different you and I. We're just a couple of lonely souls."

"What would you know of being alone!?" She snaps. "You don't even know what it's like to be all alone with parents who don't have time for you because of work. To only have a sister to talk to. You have no clue how that feels!"

I feel myself tremble. Not from fear or from the harshness of her words, but out of anger.

"How… How can you be so conceited!?" I feel myself slipping out of control, overtaken by my rare displays of rage. As she was about to find out, she had just struck a very painful nerve.

"Are you so blind to those around you that you think that you're the only one who is capable of suffering!? Well it's time for you to wake up _princess_ because you're not the only one who has known loneliness. I've suffered too!"

Flames erupt from the ground around us, a true sign of the anger behind my words. Weiss jumps back from my sudden outburst.

"Wh-What?" She asks with fear evident in her voice.

"What? Is that so hard for you to believe? That someone like me has been down the same road you tread? I _know_ what it's like having parents that had to put work above their own child. To only be truly near them during the few holidays we were allowed from working. To not have any friends to talk to, to laugh and cry with. I didn't even have a sibling to turn to. DON'T YOU EVER TELL ME I DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO BE ALONE!"

The fire flares in response to my words. Tears begin to fall from my eyes through the bottom of my helmet. '_Dust…'_ A light rain begins to fall extinguishing the remnants of my anger.

"But… What about Matthew? I thought you two were best friends." She asks finding her voice.

"I… I didn't always have Matt around. We met before we started Signal. Until then, no one wanted anything to do with me. I tried so hard to find some acceptance. I never found it. I was rejected by everyone I tried to open up to." I tense clutching my hand to my heart. "It hurt. It hurt so much. I eventually gave up. I stopped trying and distanced myself from people. I didn't want to hurt anymore. I became as cold as the steel I forged."

There was a pause. That ever persistent silence that always found itself around me. Until Weiss spoke up.

"Why? Why would they treat you like that? I thought you helped people. Why would they turn you away?"

"Why? I always found myself asking that question, over and over again, until the answer was screamed in my face. Bad blood. Weiss you have to understand me and my family are all good people. It's just… My family history is complicated, let's just leave it at that"

"If your family are all good people, which I believe, how is it that you can have bad blood?"

"…"

"Okay. Forget I asked." She says with the most understanding voice I've heard from her yet.

"You know, I have to admit, I'm kinda jealous of you Weiss. Not because your rich or anything like that, but because you have a sister. I would have given anything of value to myself to have grown up with a brother or sister. I love my family and they love me, but when it boils down to it, what I wanted most was a friend. You were blessed with a sister. Don't ever take that for granted."

She smiled, whether it was forced or genuine I don't know. "Alright. So what lead you to Matthew?"

"Fate, Chance, Destiny, Accident. Call it whatever you want. I don't particularly know myself, but I couldn't care less at this point. I'm thankful every single day of my life that for that one gift."

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear your story."

I take a moment to collect my thoughts.

"I was walking home from school one day, alone as usual. I didn't know a few of the older students who attended my school were tailing me. There were three of them. They soon caught up to me and pulled me into a small alley way."

"What did they do?" Weiss asked softly.

"What everyone else did. Degrade me, mock me… Hurt me. For no reason other than the fact that I dared to exsist. An existence that they were prepared to end. Then Matt showed up. He had seen what was going on from the other side of the street. You know what he did?" She shakes her head. "He ran straight up to the leader and decked him into the dumpster."

Weiss grinned trying to suppress a giggle.

"While the leader's lackeys were busy fishing him out of the trash, Matt had placed himself between me and my attackers. I had no idea why a stranger was defending me from such vile people. When the group had finished retrieving their leader, they told Matt to step aside or, well you can guess what they had in mind. But Matt refused and held his ground. The alley way became a battlefield. When it was all over they left battered and deterred. We didn't fare much better. We were injured but alive."

"So that's when you two became friends?"

I look to the floor and frown.

"No. I turned him away. It was my turn to reject someone for once. I told him he was stupid for risking his wellbeing for me, that he should have left me to my fate, so I could just be forgotten. I didn't want to open up to someone just to be hurt again when he found out what everyone else knew. I ran away to my home so I could just forget about the one person who ever showed me any kindness, thinking I would never see him again."

"So you turned down the one person that offered you their friendship? How does that even make sense!? You'd have to be the biggest dolt in all of Remnant to do something like that."

"Oh really? I seem to recall a certain young leader of yours that did the same thing for you and offer her friendship, and as I remember her telling me, you repeatedly refused. Now, what was that about being a huge dolt?"

"I… Um…" I chuckle at her lack of coherent sentences. "Oh be quite you dolt!" She scowls but quickly returns to her small grin. "So what made you change your mind?"

"Well as luck would have it, the universe decided it had other ideas than leaving us apart for very long. I was practicing with my sword in the forest close to my home one weekend, when I heard a Nevermore fly overhead. I chased after it to see what it was up to. I followed the direction it was flying in when I heard people shouting. I found Matt pinned to a tree by the shirt by one of the Nevermore's feathers. He told the young girl accompanying him to run. It was his sister. She tried to flee but the Nevermore blew her to the ground with a gust of wind from its wings. The Nevermore grabbed her in one of its talons and tried to fly away. I jumped into action and landed on its back and drove my sword through the back of its head. It never had a chance to figure out what was going on until it was too late. Matt's sister landed in a bush without any further injuries, and the beast was dead."

"Why would you help them? You already rejected others so why bother?"

"Because I became distant, never heartless. It was still in my nature to help others; I just wouldn't let them get into my life. My work done I tried to leave but Matt stopped me. He put me in a hold and activated his semblance to keep me from leaving. He refused to let me go until I told him why I left him that day in the alley. Matt's stubborn so ignoring him did me no good. So I finally told him the truth. All of it. The sooner he learned the sooner he could leave me like all the others. But he didn't leave. He didn't care. He learned my reasons and told me it didn't matter. Matt told me he stood up for me because I was a person just the same as he was and that I deserved better, and especially now after what I had done for him and his sister, he knew that I was a good person. One who just needed a fair chance. He made me a promise that day. No matter what, he would always stick by my side and we would always be friends. That's when I knew I didn't have to distance myself from him. He cared and wasn't going to hurt me for being who I am. Weiss, he refused to give up on me when I had given up on myself a long time ago. I finally found a true friend in Matt that day. So do you want to keep making the same mistake I made over and over? Are you going to continue questioning their friendship, or are you going to finally let them into your heart? To accept them as they are, as they accept you?"

The three objects rematerialized in front of us, as if they knew they were needed once more. Weiss walks up to the dormant rose.

"Ruby is immature and unready, but that means she is still growing and one day, with work, she will bloom into something special."

She moves over to the black vexing book. "Blake is mysterious and hides her information of her past, but as you clearly demonstrated, we all have some things we would rather not talk about. That information is private and she will reveal it when the time is right. And while her words are cryptic and I don't understand her, given time it will all become clear."

She steps up to the comb. "Yang is rough and wild, but on the inside she has a big heart and she cares for us, for me."

The mirror returns as expected but the symbols of her team do not leave.

"So. Tell me now… What do you see?"

She faces the mirror but does not flinch at the reflection.

I don't do well with my emotions or other people, and they can all be insufferable, brutish and secretive, and they are far from perfect." If she could see the top half of my face she would see me raise an eyebrow. "But I'm not either and I suppose they have their moments and I don't think I could imagine any better people to be associated with." We exchange smiles. "And thanks to you I realize that I don't have to hide behind my fears. I don't have to be alone anymore."

"That a girl."

The objects begin to glow filling the space with their combined glow of color and radiating with a certain warmth. The mirror began to crack shattering and splintering around us blinding us with a flash of light. When we could see again the objects were gone leaving the broken mirror. Before us was the Weiss from the mirror, but not the cold one. The scared Weiss that had been hiding behind her. But she wasn't scared anymore. She was smiling. She stood before us surrounded by her teammates. She was finally free.

* * *

><p><p>

As I awoke I see Weiss also withdrawing from her sleep. When she looked over to me she smiled. And it wasn't a forced or faked smile either. For once she was truly happy. Dez faked a cough to grab our attention.

"So how did it go? You were in there for quite some time."

"I don't know. Weiss?"

She rolled her eyes. "It was enlightening and I'm glad that I decided to take you up on your offer Ace. So to the both of you, thank you."

"Hey, what are friends for?" I reply.

"Who ever said we were friends?" She says.

"Aw come on. I thought we had a very touching moment in their together." I feign my hurt.

"Dunce."

"Princess."

"Dolt."

"So that's it? We're just going to automatically go back to that." I joke, which she responds with a smirk. "Glad to see some things never change. I don't think I could see you being unbearably nice all the time." I laugh. "Guess you really can't change overnight."

"Give it time. This is all going to be new for me for a while, but I'll get the hang of it."

"Well even if you do change completely, you will always be the Ice Queen to us."

We look at the clock. It's 3:30 now. Weiss gets up leave and I walk her to the door.

"Thank you, again. You should really think about changing your profession to a psychiatrist."

"Nah, I wouldn't get to do that little number on people. Plus I'd have to start charging you. Nope I'm happy doing it my own way."

"Still I think you deserve something for what you've done for me."

"Well, there might be one thing I could accept."

"Name it."

"I stretch my arms out wide."

"How about... A hug?"

"A hug? That's it? That's all you want?"

"Yep. Just a hug."

She rolls her eyes but moves into my embrace. She tenses from the contact but relaxes. She's not use to this form of contact I suppose.

"Ace? Are you ever going to tell me what _you're_ hiding?"

"One day I will. I'll tell everyone then. I promise you'll be the first to know. Goodnight Weiss."

"It's morning you dunce."

"Whatever."

"For what it's worth, I think you would have made an excellent brother."

"Thank you. And remember, just between the two of us."

She departs for her room and I return to mine. Dez is in his bed relaxing now that his space is unoccupied.

"So you didn't eavesdrop on us while we were in there did you?"

"Nope. All I had to do was start and maintain the process. Everything was kept just between you and Weiss. So how did it all turn out?"

"She's been through a lot, but I think she's going to be just fine now."

"Well I'm going to get some rest." Dez says laying his head on his pillows.

"Sorry to keep you awake so long." I apologize.

"Don't worry about it. Wasn't that tired anyway. Besides your goals are my goals." He says smiling.

"Thank you."

I lay down to rest more myself, as the sound of singing rings through my mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ... Wow. That was long. I had so much fun writing the stuff for the Weiss arc of the story. Fun fact the idea to dive into Weiss's mind came from a really awesome fanfiction. It's called 'Yet Another Weiss Christmas Story' by G.N. Over-Kite. This guys stuff is awesome so check that out. **

**Anyways, Now that this is out of the way, I'm going to be working on the special on friday so no update until then. So how do you think I did? tell me what you think with a review or just message me if you like. I like talking to people so I won't bite. Until next time.**


	12. Chapter 10

**Halloween Spooktackular: The Beast of Midnight**

* * *

><p>October is drawing to a close. We have no more than a week before it would be the thirty- first, and we all know what that means. Halloween. A night of monsters and candy. Good times, until Matt dropped into my life.<p>

You don't celebrate much when you don't have friends to do so with, but with Matt, he makes it a point. I know Halloween is the time for scaring the pants off your friends and neighbors but Matt tends to go overboard with the concept.

Now there are very few things that scare me, but every chance he gets he finds his own creative ways to make my heart stop. It's the one thing I dread about this time of year. What's even worse is that he always puts me on edge until he finally strikes. You don't know when, where, or how he's going to do it, you just know that it's coming.

It's a relief when it's over but annoying that he pulls this stuff every year. Yesterday his plan was simple. He hid himself in a pile of fall leaves and waited for me to pass by so he could grab my ankles. I almost kicked him in the head for that number. I had no idea how he even managed to bury himself that well. Come to find out that Nora helped conceal him. He told her it was some a game, though she really didn't need much convincing.

I wake up first this morning and head to the showers to get ready for the day. The warm water showering over me is always a great way to wake up and start the day feeling clean and rejuvenated. I exit the shower to finish getting ready. As I near finish brushing my teeth, a loud roar emanates from behind, startling me and sending me sprawling onto the floor. My tooth brush ended somewhere across the side of the room.

"What in the world?" I say to no one as I search for the source of my distress. I find a scroll placed on the wall with a red light flashing. "Matthew." I deduce as if I hadn't known any better.

As if on cue Matthew walks in with a wide mischievous smile as he realized I had fallen for his trap. He picks up his scroll that he had planted sometime before I woke up. He opens it and taps around until he finds what he's looking for. A video recording.

_'__Should have figured he was recording this.'_

Sure enough he had captured a most embarrassing scene of me falling to the ground after that loud noise sounded.

"That was way too easy." Matt laughs as he watches his recording.

"What's with you and ruining my mornings and what was that noise?" I ask annoyed.

He pulls up different file and plays an audio recording of the same noise that had played a while ago.

"Just a really big Ursa roar I recorded in the forest." He replies happily.

We walk out of the shower room and into the hallway.

"You know one day someone is going to teach you a lesson about what it's like to be scared senseless, and I hope I'm there to see the look on your face when they do."

"Never going to happen Ace. I am the master of terror." He beams proudly.

Suddenly we hear a scream come from team RWBY's dorm. The leader herself came bursting through the door as fast as she could, stopping in front of us as we round the corner.

"That was not funny Yang!" Ruby screamed back at her door.

Yang poked her head through the door way smiling. She had red all over her face. It looked like blood.

"Come on sis it's just ketchup." She giggles to her sister.

"You scared the dust out of me!"

Weiss walked out of the room to scold Yang.

"That was so childish Yang, and Ruby I know she scared you but could _you_ not scare _us_ when we're trying to sleep?" She asks frowning upset that she was awoken by Ruby's screaming.

"You're just jealous that I'm the Queen of Halloween."

"If she's the Queen then I'm definitely the King." Matt proclaims giving Yang a high five.

"What's going on here?" I ask as Ruby glares at her older sibling. Blake steps out into the hallway prepared with the answer.

"Yang is scaring Ruby again." She says flatly.

"She does this all the time!" Ruby exclaims.

Team JNPR joins the mix as they step out to see what's going on.

"What's with all the yelling?" Jaune asks confused to the congregation of people outside their door.

"Yang and Matt are up to their Halloween hijinks again." Zweii answers, walking up with Dez.

"Ooh, I love Halloween!" Nora shouts, jumping up and down. "We should do something together this year."

"We're all a little too old for trick-or-treating." I point out to the second most energetic hammer wielder I know.

Her smile falters for a moment but quickly reappears.

"What about a party this weekend? Just between the twelve of us. We could have games and food and spooky music and treats!"

"Yay! Treats!" Ruby chimes in.

"That does sound like fun." Pyrrha points out in agreement. Jaune and Ren nod with equal interest.

"Hmm, I suppose that could be… Fun." Weiss adds. I smile. At least she's trying.

"Well that settles it." Yang yells. "We'll have the most killer party ever!"

"Alright then, we're going to need supplies." I state. "Weiss, Matt, Nora, and Dez; you four are on decoration detail. Blake, Yang, Jaune, and Pyrrha; you guys are in charge of food and beverages. Ren and Zweii; you two think of a place to hold the festivities. Me and Ruby will go talk to Ozpin about the party. Sound good?" Everyone nods accepting their roles. "Good. Now before anyone does anything we will go get this cleared. Meanwhile, just be thinking about what we will want and need in advance. Come on Ruby."

* * *

><p>We walk through the halls searching for Ozpin to talk about the details of our party, talking about various topics. Mostly weapons as it was one of Ruby's favorite things to talk about. Somehow the conversation steered to how Matt and Yang scared us every year.<p>

"She's just so infuriating sometimes!" Ruby groaned, still unhappy with the trick Yang pulled on her this morning.

"I know what you mean. Matt is just as annoying."

A third voice joins in from in front of us. "Hello Mister Wolfblade, Miss Rose." It was professor Ozpin himself wearing his usual polite expression. "What's this I hear about your teammates?"

"Oh it's nothing sir. Just our friends celebrating Halloween a little too much." I reply.

He takes a sip from his mug. "I see. To be young and free again." he says looking up, smiling in nostalgia. "I remember when I celebrated Halloween when I was your age."

"Which reminds me why we're here. You see we wanted to ask you if we could have a small party this weekend to celebrate between Team: RWBY, JNPR, and AZRE. Nothing huge or out of hand."

"Yeah and we'll be super responsible and clean up after." Ruby adds.

"Hmm, I don't see why not. Most of the students are heading home to do similar things anyway. Have at it."

"Yay!" Ruby cheers, quickly catching her own sudden outburst. "I mean thank you professor Ozpin." She says more calmly.

"Yes thank you Headmaster." I add.

"Of course. It's important to celebrate these pleasant times with friends. Enjoy your party." He begins to walk off.

"Oh professor Ozpin." I call making him stop. "There's something else I would like to talk to you about."

He cocks his eyebrow and takes another drink from his mug. "Is that so? What would you like to talk about?" He asks with interest.

"Just a few things about one of me and Ruby's projects. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all." He grinned.

* * *

><p>We walk back to the teams to tell them the good news about the party. Ruby already in process of sending the combined members to meet in the hall was humming the whole way back. We find them all once again gathered together talking amongst themselves, except for Ren and Weiss who were mostly just listening.<p>

"All right troops, operation Halloween Bash has been given the green light." I announce.

Everyone cheers, again minus Ren and Weiss, who remained reserved.

"So did you figure out what supplies we're going to get?" I ask as they come to a quite.

Weiss steps forth with the answer. "Well after much debate and consideration, we settled on a manageable list of decor and food."

"Yeah as in Weiss took over full control in the planning." Yang quips.

"Hey just because you're no good at it, doesn't mean that individuals such as myself can't enjoy planning events. Besides, I didn't say no to all of your ideas." Weiss defends.

"Okay but you did turn down most of it."

"Well we do kind of have to set a budget somewhere Yang." Jaune cuts in. "Weiss is really doing us a favor in helping pay for a good majority of the stuff."

Yang thinks on this for a moment before smiling. "Yeah okay. Besides, only the princess would want to do the boring stuff anyways."

Weiss just shoots a glare at the blondes jab. Blake quickly jumps in to intervene, covering the brawler's mouth.

"What Yang is _trying_ to say is that she is very grateful for what Weiss is doing for us, aren't you Yang?" She says more commanding than asking. It must be hard being the voice of neutral reason.

Yang nods unable to speak through Blake's hand. Weiss just rolls her eyes.

"Anyway here's the list we came up with." Weiss says handing the list to Ruby.

"Wow, this all sounds great! Thank you Weiss." Ruby chirps praising her partner.

"You're welcome Ruby." Weiss smiles at Ruby's appreciation.

"So where are we going to set up the party?" I ask adding on to my ever expanding list of questions.

"Well Ren and I talked about it and we think we figured out a suitable spot." Zweii states confidently.

"We couldn't fit all of us and the provisions comfortably in one of our rooms, and we didn't want to risk making a mess in one of the other areas such as the library, so we decided we would just use the roof. There's of room up there and since it is a Halloween party, we figured the night sky would give a good atmosphere." Ren concludes.

"Sounds perfect. Now we just need to get all the things. So if everyone is ready the fore mentioned teams will need to travel to the city. Since we already have settled on a location, Zweii, go help with food, and Ren can go help with the decorations."

"What about you and Ruby?" Matt asks.

"I'd love to but I think I'll stay here and scavenge for chairs, tables, and maybe some other things we could use." I answer.

"Yeah and I'll help Ace. Everyone else will be with each other so I'll help him out and keep him company." Ruby says briskly.

"Aww that's so _sweet_ of you Ruby." Yang coos, emphasizing the 'sweet'. Everyone groans at the implied pun.

"The airship to Vale will be leaving in an hour." Dez informs checking his scroll. "We should get moving."

With that we all nod and set off to the business at hand.

* * *

><p>After a long week of waiting, the day of the party had finally arrived. Everything had been set up the day previous, excluding the food, which was being kept in the cafeteria for safe keeping. Despite that the scene was very well set.<p>

A large blood red canopy was set up over the roof top. Orange and black streamers were strung underneath around the perimeter and of the covering as well as intersecting in the middle. Cobwebs were hung where ever they could, to give an ancient and decrepit vibe.

The tables were set underneath along the boundaries of the roof, almost like barriers. They were covered in holiday table setting, with various seasonal icons like bats and skeletons. The tables were decorated with carved pumpkins of various sizes and designs, illuminated by the candles set inside to give them their fiery glow. A sizable black cauldron was sat at a tables end to be used as a punch bowl.

On the middle table was a mechanical skull replica outfitted to play spine tingling themes. Directly underneath the table the skull sat was a fog machine Ace and Ruby had procured from the fine arts department of the school. What business a class like that had doing at a school for monster slayers, no one would understand.

All in all it was clear Weiss knew exactly what she was doing when she took charge of planning. As the sun began to set the three teams began to bring out the food and the rest of the supplies. Various cookies and sweets were displayed amongst the jack-o-lanterns. Everyone was hesitant to bring so many sugary confections in fear of being subjected to one of Ruby or Nora's sugar rushes, but they protested that it wouldn't be a party without some sweets, so eventually everyone relented. It was a party after all.

Pyrrha and Weiss filled the cauldron with fruit punch while Yang brought out a cooler of bottled cider as an alternative drink. Zweii and Dez moved chairs into position while Ace prepped the fog creator, and Jaune the music. Nora and Ren brought out what looked like a wooden wash tub filled with water as one of the games, bobbing for apples. Matt and Blake brought out chips and sandwiches so that there would be more filling foods present. As the sun finally sank under beyond the horizon, the final preparations were complete and the party would soon commence.

The three teams each participate in their own ways, enjoying the fruits of their labor underneath the orange hallowed light of the broken moon. Ace, Jaune, and Ruby were conversing about how they were handling classes and leading their teams over a few sandwiches. Ruby was doing well to restrain herself from demolishing their stock of sweets, but snuck a few cookies every now and then.

Weiss and Zweii were talking about their homes in Atlas while the young heiress snacked on an apple she won from the bobbing game. She was quite adamant in not playing seeing as she never engaged in such activities back at home, but when Yang challenged her abilities all bets were off. No one challenged a Schnee. She struggled at first but eventually she managed to retrieve one of the fruits from the water, claiming her victory.

Yang, Nora, Matt, Pyrrha, and Dez were holding a competition to see who could perform the best Halloween dance. Nora's wasn't so much creepy as it was random and goofy, but that did nothing to damper her enthusiasm. Blake was enjoying a bottle of cider while talking with Ren about one of her many books. Everyone was having a great time just being together with their friends.

Jaune reached for another sandwich only to find that the plate was empty.

"Hey Ace, we're out of sandwiches." The blond knight called back.

"Don't worry about it. I think there's more back in the cafeteria. I'll just go grab them." The Grimm clad leader offered, walking to the door.

"We're getting low on chips too. I'll go grab some." The youngest leader adds, quickly trailing him.

Several minutes passed and neither of the duo had returned. The others began to wonder what was taking them so long.

"I wonder what's taking them so long." Jaune mutters lowly to himself but still noticed by Mattew.

"I'm sure they're just making sure we have enough food for the rest of the party." The male hammer wielder said nonchalantly.

"Still, it shouldn't take that long should it?" Jaune says reiterating his growing concern.

"How long have they been gone anyway? I would check my scroll but I can't find the blasted thing." Matthew said trying to check his person for the device.

"Almost fifteen minutes now." Zweii says looking at his own scroll.

The device began to beep alerting the paladin. He looked down and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Uh guys, either my scroll is busted or Ace is in serious trouble." The paladin says nervously.

"What makes you say that?" Dez asks confused to his teammate's discovery.

He flips the scroll around for the others to see, their faces filling with shock.

"Because his aura just crashed into the critical range."

The remaining members of Team: RWBY suddenly got a similar alert and checked their scrolls to find Ruby's aura had also dropped by half.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a voice screamed from the school.

"That sounds like Ruby!" Yang gasped, beginning to look frantic.

"Party's over guys, our friends are in trouble." Jaune said drawing his sword and shield.

The Huntsmen and Huntresses in training quickly sprinted through the hallway in search of the missing leaders. They stopped when they heard another scream from Ruby sound from down the hall.

"HELP!" The red and black themed girl screamed running insanely fast, fear instilled in her silver eyes.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted running to her younger sister.

"Yang! Omydustohmydustitwasbigandscaryandwetriedfightingitbutnothingworkedan-" Ruby hastily spat out at Mach speed.

"Whoa, whoa hold on there kiddo. Breath." Yang said pulling in the hooded girl for a hug. "What happened?"

"We- we were getting the- the food, and- and we heard this noise and we went to look for it and then we saw IT."

"What? What did you see?" Blake asked the frantic girl.

"A Grimm. In the school. It was huge! We tried to kill it but nothing we did caused any damage."

"A Grimm? Here? How is that even possible?" Jaune asked.

"So where's Ace?" Matthew asks, afraid of the answer he would receive.

"It- It got him. It got him!" She cried trying to avoid eye contact. "He told me to run. I used my semblance to get away."

"WHAT!?" You just left our friend and leader alone? What's wrong with you!?" Matthew yelled.

"MATT! Clam down. It's not her fault." Zweii scolds trying to keep his leaders best friend from losing it.

"I know! Just… What in Remnant is going on!?" Matthew screams punching the wall.

"RRROOOOOAARRRRR!"

A horrendous growl echoed through the school sending shivers down everyone's spines.

"Oh Dust! It's coming!" Ruby cried.

"That doesn't sound like any Grimm I've heard before." Pyrrha states trying to mentally place the roar.

Large footsteps could be heard coming towards the group as the braced themselves for what was coming. The students drew their weapons and assumed their battle stance. All except Matthew, Zweii, and Nora; who had left their weapons in their lockers, so the massive things would not get in the way of the party. Weapon or no weapon, Matthew and Zweii still had their semblances so they could still fight using those, and Nora was just crazy enough to fight without use of either one.

The creature rounded a corner on the other side of the hallway revealing its monstrous form, shocking the small group. It was indeed as Ruby described it. Big and scary. Its body was that of a large Ursa covered in thick bone armor that left almost no weak spots. The legs and arms were thick and almost human like, but ended with huge razor sharp claws. The head was that of a Beowolf and revealed large jagged teeth. Its back was covered in the natural spikes of an Ursa leaving almost as little openings as the front of its torso. The beast ended with a long tail resembling a Death Stalkers, equipped with a sizable stinger. It was as if Ace's armor had a brother that had come to life to seek vengeance from beyond the grave. But this creature was alive. A real living, breathing, Grimm Chimera.

"What is that thing!?" Jaune yelled truly scared.

"I don't know but I don't particularly want it to get any closer to find out." Yang replied readying her gauntlets.

"Dust this beast!" Matthew yelled as everyone with ranged attacks opened fire.

Round after round was shot at the beast without rest. When the smoke cleared the Chimera remained standing completely unfazed by the onslaught of ammo.

"We didn't even put a scratch on it! How is this thing so strong?" Weiss said beginning to grow fearful at the creature before them.

"We need to pierce through its armor to have any chance of harming it." Pyrrha decided readying her spear.

"I'll handle this!" Weiss proclaimed already making a dash for the monster.

"Weiss! No!" Ruby cried out but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Weiss continued with her attack without hesitation prepared to run the beast through with her rapier.

The Grimm dodged away from the attack at the last moment and Weiss struck the wall behind it. More specifically the electrical system for the building. The lights flickered and died as their source of energy had been cut. The school became dark, and everyone looked at Weiss who could only frown at the misfortune.

"What? I didn't know! How could I have known!?" She asked annoyed by the stares she was receiving.

"Well this fight just got a whole lot more difficult. Wait. Where's Ruby?" Yang asked looking for her sister.

The beast roared from behind them making everyone turn. What they saw made them completely terrified. Being held in the monsters mouth was Ruby, unconscious and bleeding. Her body lay limp as she was held by her torso.

"RUBY!" Yang screamed. The monster retreated into the shadows with its prize.

"Everybody fall back!" Zweii instructed.

"No! Not without Ruby! We have to help her!" Yang cried in fear of her sister and her own life.

"You can't help her if it gets you too, now let's move!" Zweii ordered.

"Yang we'll find her let's go." Blake said trying to convince the blonde brawler.

Yang nodded and they all ran through the school to make some distance between them and their new foe.

* * *

><p>The group hid in Team RWBY's dorm room to think of their next move. Many emotions filled the room like a thick fog. Anger, sadness, guilt, but most of all fear.<p>

"How are we going to beat this thing? There has to be a way." Matthew asked furiously.

"There is and we'll find it. For Ace and Ruby's sake we have to." Dezaryl reasoned.

"This is just like initiation when we fought that giant Death Stalker and Nevermore. Our ammo did nothing but irritate them and individual attacks were just as effective." Blake observes assessing the situation.

"You guys fought a Deathstalker and Nevermore? Man we got off easy with a huge pack of Beowolves and Ursi." Zweii says remembering their stand in the forest.

"Yeah, we need to attack strategically and together to bring this thing down just like we did before." Yang proclaims getting the gist of their next attack.

"But Zweii, Nora, and Matt still don't have their weapons. It would be much easier if they were equipped as well." Ren says.

"Well thanks to Weiss the signal between our scrolls has been severed from our lockers and each other's scrolls. We can't just deploy them here or call for help." Yang cut in angrily.

"Look I said I was sorry, what more do you want from me?" The fencer scowls.

"I want my Sister!" The blonde shouts.

"ENOUGH!" Zweii yells over the bickering members. "Fighting each other isn't going to help us save Ruby or Ace."

The room went quite. Ashamed and depressed expressions were laced on everyone's faces.

"Zweii's right. If we're going to have any chance of saving them we need to work together." Weiss says looking into Yang's lilac eyes. Yang smiles.

"You're right. It's not anyone's fault. I'm just worried you know?" Yang says her eyes expression becoming down cast.

"We're all worried. But we're going to go out there and do our jobs. We're Hunters in training and that Grimm is just another hunt for us to kill. Now let's show this thing whose boss!" Dez says reading his bow into a sword.

The warriors leave the room to track the beast. Before long sounds of the creature's return sound through the hall.

"When you see it, run at it and give it all you've got." Jaune whispers.

The Chimera emerges from the pitch black hallway ready for the next fight.

"NOW!" Zweii yells as those who could fight up close charged forward. The beast approached with equal speed.

Yang went in for a melee to the face, but she was evaded and sideswiped by the creature into the wall beside her. Quickly recovering, the blonde ran in to punch the creature in the chest hoping to crack the armor. The beast took several hits before swiping at her, but she flipped backwards to avoid the deadly claws while Weiss attacked from the left side driving her sword through its side. The beast growled at the stinging in its side but was unable to attack the cause of its discomfort as Matthew used his semblance and began pummeling it on the right side with his metallic fists. The beast leapt backwards to get away from the assault but Blake quickly closed in on it slashing at it with Gambol Shroud. The beast swung at her but she used her shadow semblance to absorb and evade the strike while she danced around the monster striking it from every side.

Blake retreated as Yang and Matthew began sending a flurry of punches the beast's way. The combined force of the two powerhouses pushed back the creature, but only for a little. It reared back and charged them knocking them to the sides of the hall. Jaune, Dezaryl, and Pyrrha became the next line of defense and charged forward. Jaune and Pyrrha used their shields to deflect the beast blows while Dezaryl swung for its neck. The beast ducked out of the way and swiped Jaune and Dezaryl backwards with a strong attack. Pyrrha swings Miló in its xiphos form landing a hit on the creatures shoulder plating. It uses its whip like tail to literally sweep the Spartan off her feet. She lands on the ground with a loud thud before the beast uses its tail to grapple her and throw her into the wall leaving her unconscious.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yells as his fire headed partner is dragged away by The Grimm becoming its latest victim.

Ren places his arm on Jaune's shoulder as the rest of the team retreats back to the room.

"This is looking bad guys. We hit that thing hard and it just shook it off. And now it's got Pyrrha." Zweii says once again trying to rally the troops.

"Nothing is invincible. What we need is a new plan." Ren says flatly.

"We need to set up a trap, and here's how it's going to work." Zweii says huddling the group in for the plan.

* * *

><p>The group takes their positions in the hall waiting for the creature to reappear. Nora was away from the group using herself as bait. Zweii had insisted on someone with a weapon but she was quite adamant in being the one to lure the monster.<p>

She found it stalking down one of the halls and prepared to draw its attention.

"Hey fluffy!" She shouted earning the beast's attention. "Trick-or-Treat!" She yelled smiling as she hurled one of the Jack-o-lanterns from the party into the beasts face, staining it with orange.

The beast roared angrily and charged at her as she sped down the hall back to her friends. She runs past Weiss with the beast in tow, leading it into their trap. Weiss summoned a glyph to block its path while Dezaryl emerged from one of the room's behind the beast firing ice tipped arrows to freeze the beast in place. Zweii emerged from the opposite door and focused his semblance to form a huge orb of fire in front of his hands and sent it hurdling towards the trapped creature. In a large flash, the fire met its mark and exploded on contact.

"We got it!" Yang cheered as she saw the flames surrounding the creature burn mercilessly. The victory was brief as they heard the monster howl within the inferno. It leapt from the flames as if it were a beast straight out of the deepest pits of Hell as the small embers that clung to its fur dissipated.

"Oh no you don't!" Zweii yelled readying his semblance for another attack. He spewed a large flamethrower from his mouth bent on burning the beast where it stood. The beast surprised them all when the beast countered with a flame of its very own.

A powerful breath of flame emerged from the beast and clashed with Zweii's, neither side letting up.

"This thing can breathe fire!? What are we dealing with here!?" Yang yelled as she saw the knight and the beast fight fire with fire.

Zweii had already used a lot of his aura on that fire orb and was quickly burning the rest trying to push the beast's fire back. Soon he was unable to maintain his fire. The beast's fire overpowered his own and sent him flying backwards. His aura was depleted and he too was claimed by the beast.

"Retreat to the library! We can set up a barricade." Jaune yelled to the dwindling number of friends.

Once inside the safety of the library, Nora and Dezaryl pushed a bookcase in front of the doors blocking the Grimm's entrance.

"Now what do we do?" Yang asks, angry at the loss of another comrade.

"I don't know but whatever it is we need to do it fast." Jaune says unable to think of the next possible move.

Blake walks over to the section of the library dedicated to information on Grimm. Maybe one of the books would have an answer. The ebony haired girl picks out all of the references and starts reviewing them.

"I say we go to Ozpin's office. If anyone can beat this thing it's him and the other professors." Weiss says offering her option.

"There's no guarantee that we would make it. We're already down a third of our group and we haven't done anything that resembles hurting that fiend." Dezaryl points out.

"Well what choice do we have!? We can't just stay in here. Even if that thing can't get in here, we don't have food or water to survive on." Weiss yells, dreading the situation more and more.

Blake steps up behind Jaune and Weiss unnoticed.

"Hey, I…" She starts.

"Ahhh!" Jaune and Weiss shriek in surprise as Jaune jumps into Weiss's arms, both clenching their eyes shut.

"Relax it's just me!" Blake says trying to calm them down.

"Blake! Don't sneak up on us like that!" Jaune yells.

"Get off of me you dunce!" Weiss yells at the blonde dropping him onto the floor.

"Anyway, I just looked in every book I could find on Grimm and this creature doesn't show up in any of them. It's not even mentioned."

"Well that's just perfect! We have no idea how to beat this thing _and_ No one else has even seen it!" Weiss yells with a mix of sarcasm and anger.

They hear the creature howl from the other side of the door, trying to force its way into their sanctuary.

"Oh man! It found us already? Can't we ever catch a break!?" Matthew bellows.

The monster charges the door and sends the bookcase flying, unblocking its way in. Ren and Blake ready their weapons.

"You guys make a break for it. Me and Blake will hold it off. Find Ozpin." Ren orders.

"We can't just leave you guys, you won't make it." Yang says trying to reason with the green clad martial artist.

"None of us are going to make it if you don't get to Ozpin. We'll be fine." Blake argues refocusing her attention on the monster.

The usually mellow teens rush towards the beast drawing its attention. The others slip past as they fend of the creature. Ren fires StormFlower into the creature's chest while circling it, trying to confuse it. Blake shift's Gambol shroud into kusarigama form flailing the bladed ribbon at the beast in quick succession. The ribbon wraps around its arm embedding into the side. In its fury the monster swings its snared arm pulling Blake into it batting her down with the other arm. It then swings the assassin into Ren wrapping the weapon around him and tangling him up in the ribbon. Blake collides with Ren and they both are knocked unconscious.

"Ren!" Nora shouts as watches her closest friend fall to the ground.

"Blake!" Yang roars in equal shock.

"We have to go." Weiss says pulling on both of their sleeves.

The remaining half of the combined teams ran swiftly as the beast drags off two more of their friends. They find themselves in the cafeteria, panting from all the running. Their auras were quickly draining from the constant combat.

"How…*pant*… Did we…*pant*…End up here?" Yank asks through shaky breaths.

"I told you…*huff*… We should have…*huff*…Gone left." Weiss answers trying to catch her own breath.

"I'm getting real tired of running." Jaune coughs, resting his hands on his knees.

"Well we're almost there. Ozpin's office shouldn't be much farther." Weiss says assuring the end was near.

"Yeah we just got to make it through- Oof!" Dez was interrupted as a table was flung across the room and into his side, wiping out his remaining aura. The creature stood once again in the groups path of escape.

"Dez!" Matt exclaimed as his partner was sent sailing backwards.

"Arrgh! Give me back my friends you monster!" Nora cried charging the beast throwing chairs at it. She leapt on to its back avoiding the spikes and wrapping her arms around its head blinding it. "Run! Save the others." Nora yelled as the beast franticly tried to throw her off.

The remaining squad ran out of the cafeteria and towards the Headmaster's quarters. Nora clung on to the creatures face for dear life, but as energetic as she was, her boundless energy had reached its limit and she was thrown off into the tables crashing in more ways than one. Nora was out like a busted light.

"How much farther is it?" Yang asks.

"It should be a few more halls down. We're going to make it. Just run." Weiss says.

Suddenly the group heard the beast charging from behind.

"You just had to jinx it didn't you princess?" Yang deadpans. Weiss just gives a sheepish smile.

"Doesn't this thing ever get tired of chasing us?" Matt says losing his patience with their pursuer's persistence.

The beast quickly catches up with them and forces Matthew and Yang into an intersecting hallway, passing them by for other prey.

"Weiss, Jaune it's after you guys." Yang shouts.

"Great! The stupid thing just blocked our way to Ozpin's office." Matthew says sharply. "Now what do we do?"

"I guess we just hide in one of these rooms and when it passes we make a break for it. That's all we can do." Yang answers.

"I guess it is." Matthew sighs. "I'm scared Yang. I've never been so scared in my whole life."

"Hey we'll get through this. We have to. Our friends depend on it."

Meanwhile the creature was closing in on Weiss and Jaune. Weiss trips and slides on the floor.

"Weiss!" Jaune shouts stopping to go back.

"I'm fine, just go." The fencer says picking herself up.

"I won't leave you here."

"We don't have time for this! I said run!"

"I can't. I'm too tired to run. I'd rather go done swinging anyway." He smiles.

"Have it your way." The creature stops in front of them as they ready their weapons for their final stand. "Alright you monster. I've had more than enough of this game. I am Weiss Schnee and I will not let you get away with what you have done to my friends. So let's finish this you over grown throw rug." She proclaims spinning the dust chamber in her weapon.

Weiss glides across the hall directing her rapier at the beasts head. Jaune charges behind her ready to attack at the same time. The creature swings at her with its right claws as she draws near but misses as she propels herself over the creature's head using a glyph, slashing its shoulder and landing safely behind it. Jaune uses the distraction to take a few swings at the beast but it lashes its tail out and hooks his hoodie and pins him to the wall making him drop his shield and sword in the process.

"Oh come on!" Jaune whines as he dangles in the air.

The beast head-butts him in the gut and knocks him out. Weiss seeing this, primes the Dust in Myrtenaster and the sword gleams a brilliant white.

_'__No holding back. It's all or nothing!'_ She mentally prepares herself.

She accelerates herself using another glyph to strike at lightning fast speed. The monster opens its mouth and spreads fire in Weiss's direction. She pierces through the fire like a bullet splitting the stream around her. The fire stops and she awaits her blade's entrance into the beast's chest. But the beast was no longer in front of her. She stops where the beast should have been and looks around confused. The creature is nowhere to be seen. She looks up and gasps as she finds it clinging to the roof and starring straight back at her. Before she can react, the beast drops, bringing its claw down and knocking the heiress to the floor and sending her sword sliding away. The creature pins her to the floor, its heavy body looming over the petite girl. She could do nothing as the last attack had drained the rest of her energy. Weaponless and tired she passes out in submission.

Moments later back where Matthew and Yang had been hiding, the monster walks through the hall searching the remaining two victims. As the creature passed by their room, Matt watched from underneath the door until the coast was clear.

"Come on. I think it left." He says motioning towards Yang for her to join him. The two slowly open the door as to not alert the beast. They poked their heads out and looked in the direction the creature was heading and saw it a large distance away still searching for them, oblivious to their location.

"On three." Matthew says looking at their path of escape. "One… Two… Three!"

The two began sprinting as fast as they could down the hall. The beast heard their footsteps and started to chase them, uttering a long howl.

"I think it knows we're here." Matthew says panicking.

"Just don't look back!" Yang shouted.

They round the corner for the final stretch as the elevator to Ozpin's room came into view.

"Hit the button quick!" Yang shouts as the monster rounds the corner.

Matthew frantically pushes the button to call the elevator. Within a couple of seconds the elevator arrives, opening to allow entrance.

"Get in!" Matt yelled rushing inside.

The creature charges towards the elevator to grab them before they could escape.

"Close the door, close the door!" Yang says as Matthew hits the switch to close the elevator. They scream hugging each other as the creature is now a mere couple of feet in front of them and it leaps towards them. They close their eyes and fall onto their knees. Too terrified to realize what was going on they didn't see the doors closing in front of them. The door finally shuts and the elevator starts its ascent upward.

They arrive at the top and the elevator opens.

"Professor Ozpin! Professor… Oz… pin?" The duo shouts frantically until they see the most dumbfounding sight. In front of them, gathered around a large holographic monitor, they found not only Ozpin but every one of their fallen friends completely unscathed. In front stood Ace and Ruby, looking back at them. A massive grin spreads across their faces at the sight of their terrified teammates.

"Well it's about time you two got here. What took you so long?" Ace says taking in the sight of the distraught pair. He and Ruby look at each other for a couple of seconds before bursting into laughter.

"You should see the looks on your faces! It's too perfect!" Ruby laughs hysterically, crying as she collapses on the ground pointing at the two while grabbing her aching side.

"What… I don't… Huh!?" Yang sputters unable to speak through her confusion.

"What's going on here!?" Matthew yells.

"Just some long overdue payback, that's all." Ace says stifling more laughter.

"We got you two good! It was all a Halloween prank!" Ruby cried still laughing.

"What!?" They shouted. "You two were behind all this?"

"_Maybe._" Ruby says emphasizing the duration of the vowels.

"Wait what about that super Grimm? It's still down there." The male hammer wielder asks.

On cue the elevator opens and the monster steps out along with professor Goodwitch.

"Oh that. That's just a little something me and Ruby put together all week after class when we said we were studying or training." Ace explains tapping on his scroll as the beast sits next to him. "I like to call him Mecha Grimm Chimera."

"A robot?" Matthew inquires.

"Yep. It's amazing what you can do with a big combat drone, weapon and armor engineering skills, and a bunch of scrap metal." Ace says. "Me and Ruby took turns controlling it from up here."

"So what are we all watching in the Headmaster's office?" Glynda asks frowning.

"Oh this really entertaining movie called The Beast of Beacon." Ace says sitting at the desk pulling up a recording of the entire night. "I think this is my favorite part." He stops it at the scene where Yang and Matthew were screaming in the elevator. The female professor smirks.

"Well I hope that you have a copy for me. I'd like to see that film later tomorrow with the other professors."

"Oh there's plenty of copies for everybody."

"Wait you recorded us!?" Matt says in shock.

"Of course. Just like you videotaped me this morning." Ace says crossing his arms. "Let me explain our little scheme. You see, Me and Ruby were getting sick of you two and your antics so on our way to ask about the party we came up with an idea to get back at you. After we got permission for the party we decided to bring the topic up with Ozpin."

"And you gave them permission to do this?" Yang asks surprised that the Headmaster of Beacon would agree to such a thing.

"Well not at first but then Glynda changed my mind." Ozpin said matter of factly.

"Professor Goodwitch? Why would she do that?" Yang asks.

"Because of the stunt Matt pulled in combat class. She _really_ wanted to get back at him. That wasn't a bright idea to mess with her during the lecture." Ace said. "Anyway, we waited during the party for the perfect time to slip away from the party to start our plan. Jaune gave us the perfect chance when he realized we were out of food. So under the guise of a food run we initiated our attack. I ran here while Ruby got ready for her greatest performance. And it was brilliant!"

"But we saw your auras drop. How do you explain that?" Matthew asked.

"Simple. After I got here, Ozpin tapped into the scroll system and made them display false readings. None of us were ever in any danger."

"And what about Ruby? We saw her in that things mouth bleeding!" Yang points out.

"Oh come on Yang. It's only ketchup!" Ruby says folding her arms smiling.

"You used my trick against me?" Yang asks bewildered.

"Yep. And that's not the only thing we borrowed from you two. Show them Ace."

Ace pulls out a second scroll and plays the Ursa roar that Matthew had used to scare him.

"My scroll! You had it the whole time?" Matt says in shock. Ace nods.

"I can't thank you enough for that Ursa recording you had. I mixed it with a Beowolf's howl and used it for the monsters own unique sounds." He presses another button and the animatronic beast let out its signature roar.

"So what about everyone else?"

"Well we didn't plan on them getting caught in the cross fire but once it started we weren't going to stop. If anything they really helped out with the whole scaring you senseless part even if they didn't know it at the time. Ruby and I really got a kick out of it when Weiss cut off the electricity."

"Once again, not my fault." Weiss says blushing.

"If there was no power how did you record everything?" Matthew asks.

"Ozpin has a different power source up here for those things so they were still on. We also outfitted the robot with its own camera in the head piece."

"Of course you did." Matthew frowns.

"You guys did a great job fighting M.G.C. back there. You worried us for a second when you pulled out that little trap of yours. Good thing we took in to consideration your skills when we made him or he would have been toasted scrap."

"Why aren't you guys mad about all of this?" Yang directs her question to those not involved in the plan.

"Oh trust us they were. Weiss was fuming when she found out it was a setup. But after we explained everything they were more than happy to watch you two squirm."

"Yeah, yeah! The monster was like 'Roar!' and you two were like 'Ahhh!" Nora giggles.

"Sorry about the party Nora. It was your idea after all and we kinda messed it up." Ace apologizes.

"Are you kidding me? That was the best Halloween party ever!" Nora shouts happily.

"Yeah that was pretty fun when you think about it." Zweii smiles.

"I'm sorry but you have to admit that was a good trick." Pyrrah says.

"I can't believe you guys." Matthew mutters.

"Well I hope you two have learned your lesson." Glynda says looking at Matthew and Yang.

"Yeah. Never get on Ruby and Ace's bad sides." Matthew says jokingly.

"And we promise to stop scaring you guys so much." Yang adds.

"Thank you. Happy Halloween everybody!" Ace and Ruby shout.

"Happy Halloween!" everyone yells back, including Weiss and Ren.

"I can't wait to get some sleep. My legs are killing me." Jaune groans.

"But what about the party stuff and the mess we made?" Blake asks.

"Oh I forgot about that." Dez says.

"Don't worry about it. Me and Ruby will clean everything up. You know as a way to make it up to you guys for chasing you all night." Ace says.

"Yeah. You guys just leave it to us and get some sleep." Ruby says in agreement.

And with that everybody else returned to their rooms for a well-deserved rest. Truly this would be a night that no one would forget for a very long time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes! 7960 words, 21 pages total. New record. I enjoyed every moment writing this and I hope you had as much fun reading it. Wait. What's that Shadow? Ok I'll tell them. Shadow wants to wish you all a very Happy Howl-oween. *Dodges rock* :p**

**Well this treat doesn't come wothout a price. I'm sorry to say but as of now I have no chapters ready for next week. The last chapter wasn't even complete before I promised this so I'm admitably out of material. I do already have the ideas for the next chapters and I already can promise a Christmas Special. When I will start posting depends on how fast I can put together decent chapter plots. I'm not done with this project yet. I would like to thank the people who stop by and read this and give a special thanks to the few that have faved, followed and reviewed. It means the world to me. I hope all of you out there have a Happy Halloween and I'll see you next time. Long Live RWBY!**


	13. Authors Note 2

**A/N: Hello everybody! As you may remembering me saying, my story hasn't been updated due to lack of finished material. Well that still remains to be true. I AM currently in the process of writing the next chapter and have ideas of where I am going to go with the story already developed but I find myself in a bind. That is why I am turning to all of you out there to help me solve this dilemma. At the end of the Halloween Special I promised a Christmas Special. I AM going to do it. However the problem is That I have about nine chapters I want to occur before that in the Fiction because it will have an important place in the overall plot. I originally only posted once a week for sake of maintaining a constant stream in both writing and posting. I doubled that during October to get the Special out on time. So why can't I do the same for this one you may ask. Well I already had most of the chapters before the special finished as opposed to now where I don't have anything but the framework. As much as I would love to pump out the next chapters, I have other things to deal with like College that prevents that. So I now have to ask a question.**

**What should I do about the Christmas special? I would love to have it posted by christmas day but at the rate I'm going I probably won't make it. I also feel it would feel awkward to post the blasted thing at another time. I will post it regardless but I would love to hear what you think I should attempt to do. SO please help me out by messaging me or leaving a review with your thoughts.**

**I'd like to thank all of you out there that have read my story and given feedback. Honestly you guys are the best. I don't think I could do this without you. Well I could but it wouldn't be as special now would it? This story started off slow but hey I won't complain, especially since it has reached over 1000 views! Yay! It may not seem like much but I love it. So thanks to all of you. -Ace**


	14. Chapter 11

**Capture the Flag: Team AZRE vs Team JNPR**

* * *

><p>The air is cold and frigid. The enemy is nowhere in sight. My team cannot determine whether they are waiting for us patiently at their base, or if they are lying in wait, planning an ambush for us. No matter their course our objective is clear. We must obtain their flag at all costs, by any means necessary.<p>

"Dez are you in position?" I ask speaking into my scroll. I had sent Dez ahead to scout out the area. His stealth is vital for getting the upper hand on our foes.

"Affirmative. I have the base in my sights." He answers back.

"Any sign of Team JNPR?"

"Negative. I have yet to spot any of them. I don't like this boss. I'm sure they wouldn't leave their flag completely unguarded." He replies worriedly.

"Maintain position. I'm sending you some reinforcement. Do not engage unless it is completely necessary." I order.

"Copy that. Over and out." He finishes. The line goes silent as I look down to my other teammates beneath the branch I was perched on.

"Hey Matt you have places to be. I'm sending you forward to support your partner."

"Finally! I'm tired of waiting here doing nothing." Matt shouts hefting Vulcan over his right shoulder.

"Matt, patience and silence are both virtues." I deadpan.

"Well I wasn't blessed with either." He says as he walks away toward the enemy base.

"Just don't get taken out." His only responds by waving his free hand behind him.

"So what do we do?" Zweii asks moving from the tree he was leaning on.

"Let's head back to base. If JNPR isn't at their base then they're probably moving towards ours." I say as I scan the area. I feel that they are close but I can't pinpoint where or how far they are.

"Think they're watching us?" Zweii asks as we run back to base.

"No, I don't think they've even seen us. They're getting close though. I don't know if Matt will be able to reach Dez before running into at least one of them."

"You have a plan?" He asks.

I reply with a smile. "Of course."

* * *

><p>As we lay in wait for the enemy at our base I explain the plan to Zweii. With the idea laid out we took our positions. As we wait we hear an explosion in the distance.<p>

"Sounds like Dez located some of Team JNPR." I say smiling.

"Or they found him. I wonder how many he's fighting." Zweii says.

We look up into the sky to see one of Dez's arrows explode in midair. A light blue cloud was left in the aftermath.

"Two. That leaves two for us at most." I state. The arrows were part of a signaling system we came up with before we started the session. A fire arrow meant one while an ice arrow meant two. If he fired two arrows it meant three to four depending on the combination he used. Simple but effective.

We hear footsteps approaching us. Out from the brush appears none other than Jaune's fiery headed partner, Pyrrah. What's interesting is she is alone AND she has Matt's hammer.

_'__Matt didn't make it to Dez. I wonder how well he's dealing with two opponents.'_

* * *

><p><em>At JNPR's Base…<em>

* * *

><p>Dezaryl continued to monitor the base from a safe distance as he was instructed. He still had no visual of any of the opposing team and Matthew still had not shown up.<p>

_'__This doesn't make any sense. If they were already heading to the base I would have seen them on the way here. But they aren't even here at the base. Maybe they went around while I traveled straight…' _Dez thought to himself laying out the possible actions that were taken by the other team while continuing to scope out the area from atop the tree branch.

Suddenly he could hear voices approaching from behind. They were back tracking to the base.

"Nora, are you sure you saw something heading this way?" The first voice asked. It was Ren's voice.

"I'm absolutely, one-hundred and ten percent sure Ren. One of them was sneaking his way to our base." Nora said happily.

_'__Oh no. How did she spot me? How did I not see them? If they find me I don't know if I can hold them both off.'_

"Our flag appears to be untouched. Maybe it was just your imagination." Ren observes.

"But Ren, I know I saw someone." Nora whined.

Ren scans the area for anything out of the ordinary. He spots a few broken twigs around a tree. Nora was right. She did see someone. He could sense something watching him with his aura.

"Nora, there in that tree!" Ren says pointing at the tree Dez was perched.

Nora fires Magnhild, launching a grenade with a pink heart sailing towards Dez.

_'__So much for stealth'_ Dez thinks as he jumps away from the oncoming projectile. He lands a distance in front of Nora and Ren. The grenade bursts into an explosion of pink toppling the tree.

"See? I knew I saw him!" Nora cheers. "You owe me a stack of pancakes!"

"Dang, I was _really _hoping you wouldn't find me up there." Dez says.

"Nora's really good at hide and seek. Years of practice finding her really pays off when tracking your opponent." Ren says unenergetically yet still with a smile.

"Well then it looks like my only option is to fight." Dez says drawing an arrow and sliding it into the draw string of his bow.

"Think you can take me and Ren out alone?" Nora grins.

"Were about to find out." Dez says as he quickly fires the arrow straight up into the air.

Ren slides StormFlower down his sleeves and fires rapid shots towards Dez. The archer ducks and weaves through twin streams of projectiles, pulling the string of his bow to collapse it into his long sword. Ren side runs keeping his sights on Dez while Nora switches Magnhild to its deadly war hammer form.

Dez closes the distance between himself and Ren and swung his long sword. Ren blocks with his dual bladed SMGs catching the blade before it could hit him. They stood there locked against each other's weapons until Nora came in from the side slamming her hammer down at Dez. Ren flipped away while Dez was sent backward by the force of the impact alone. He dared not guess what that would do to him if it actually connected.

_'__I can't fight with those two sticking so close together. I need to separate them somehow.'_ Dez thinks to himself.

Dez runs towards Ren slashing at him with his sword. The gunslinger blocks and parries with the ax blades adorning the front of his guns. He swings the left gun firing towards Dez's face, missing as he ducks out of the way. Dez head-butts Ren in the gut and swings his blade free of the second SMG. As Ren catches his breath Dez darts to the trees with Nora hot on his trail.

Dez ducks behind a tree winded from the chase. He switches to using his bow and takes an arrow from the quiver on his back. His aura flares and he jumps out of way as Nora slams her hammer into the other side of the tree and detonates one of the pink grenades obliterating the tree into splinters. Nora smiles widely pointing the head of Magnhild behind her and pulling the trigger propelling her towards Dez.

_'__Oh, this is going to hurt…' _Dez sighs internally.

Nora swings Magnhild upwards and connecting with Dez's chest and fires once more accelerating Dez upwards. He lands in a branch a pulls an arrow from his quiver, quickly drawing it.

Ren finds Nora looking up at the tree. He follows her line of sight and spots Dez waiting with a drawn arrow. Nora points her hammer down and grips the trigger.

"Nora don't!" Ren yells, but he is too late as his partner pulls the trigger launching herself to Dez's level. She prepares a downward swing but her turquoise eyes widen when she finds herself in Dez's crosshairs, so to speak.

"Check Mate." Dez says evenly as he lets loose the arrow into Nora's chest exploding into a blue mist, and freezing the hyper hammer wielder. She falls to the ground below encased in ice.

"That's one down." Dez says gazing at his final opponent. "And one to go."

Ren rushes to Nora's side. "Are you okay?" He asks his incapacitated partner, forgetting she couldn't move her mouth for once. All that came was incoherent mumbling. "Hold that thought Nora." He fires StormFlower with precision thawing out the ice around her head.

"I-It's f-f-freezing i-in here." She shivers.

"How about when we get back to the dorm I make you some hot chocolate with those pancakes?" Ren asks.

"W-With m-marshmallows?"

"Yes Nora. With marshmallows." Ren says grinning.

"Y-Yay!"

Dez jumps down from the tree landing away from Ren and his human icicle of a friend.

"Sorry I had to put your girl on ice, but I have a flag to retrieve." Dez mocks running towards the base.

"R-Ren w-will s-stop you. Go g-get h-him!" Nora shouts through her shivering.

Ren nods and chases Dez firing StormFlower every step of the way. Dez stops and pivots firing another Ice Dust arrow at his pursuer but the arrow is shot down by Ren's focused fire. Dez runs towards Ren side stepping through bullets. As he reaches Ren he slides underneath him and using Ren's own momentum against him, curls his legs against Ren's chest and launches him behind him. As Ren remained airborne, Dez flips himself onto his feet and fires a Burn Dust arrow, striking his back and sending him into a tree.

"Well that takes care of that." Dez says dusting of his tunic. He walks over to the flag and hoists it from the ground. "I better check in with Ace.

* * *

><p><em>Back at AZRE Base…<em>

* * *

><p>Zweii strikes from behind a boulder surprising Pyrrah. He brings his sword down on her but was blocked by her spear. She smiles as she holds off the massive blade.<p>

"I didn't think you would leave your flag unguarded." She says.

"And I didn't think Matt would lose so quickly. Why do you have his weapon?" Zweii asks.

"Oh it was an accident really. After Jaune and I engaged him in combat, I kind of sent his hammer flying. I was just bringing it back since I found it on the way." She answers.

"What happened to Jaune?"

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere…<em>

* * *

><p>Matthew and Jaune lay on their backs sprawled out underneath the trees.<p>

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"You flew _really_ high." Matt chuckles.

"And you hit insanely hard."

"Yeah. I so wish I could have taken a picture."

"Sorry about your hammer. I can't believe she sent it flying so far."

"Eh, I'm sure it will turn up."

"Ugh, don't mention up."

"But it was so funny. You were hanging from the top branch by your hood."

"Yeah well it was pretty funny when Pyrrah nailed you with her shield."

"Oh man, I thought my head was never going to stop spinning. Your girlfriend is brutal."

"Girlfriend? But she's… We're not… She's not my girlfriend!"

"If you say so Jaune. If you say so."

* * *

><p><em>Back to AZRE Base…<em>

* * *

><p>The two combatants disengage briefly. Pyrrah throws Vulcan down by the flag so it would not interfere with her fighting.<p>

"So where's your leader? Not asleep in the trees again I hope." She smirks swinging her xiphos at Zweii's shoulder.

_'__Hey that was one time. Shadow didn't want to stop playing that night.'_

Zweii deflects Pyrrah's attack with his blade easily before swiping at her.

"You wish." Zweii scoffs, narrowly missing Pyrrah as she evades backwards. "Maybe I'll tell you where he went if you beat me."

_'__Careful Oh Knight in Shining Armor. Remember she's a four time regional champion for a reason.'_ I mentally scold him. _'I wonder what Dez is doing.'_

The fight continues on with neither side budging an inch. Zweii is definitely giving it his all, but Pyrrah was living up to her title. She deflected virtually every blow and used every opportunity to make a quick strike against Zweii's aura.

Zweii brings his sword down once more trying to smash her into the ground, but the attack falls short in front of her. He was not about to give up on his strike. He spins around and brings his sword upward catching both Pyrrah's shield and sword and knocking them both out of her hands disarming her. He points the tip of his blade at her chest.

"Can you still fight?" Zweii asks looking down the length of his zweihander.

"You have me at sword point and my weapons are…" She starts but he cuts her off.

"That's not what I asked. Can you still fight? He asks once more.

"Yes I am still combat worthy." The Spartan answers. Zweii pulls back his blade.

"Pick up your weapons then. I will not fight an unarmed opponent. My opponents will either best me or they will fall with their weapons in hand. Such is my code." He finishes.

Pyrrah smiles as she gets up and retrieves her weapons.

"You know you're the first to give me a decent fight in a long time. No one has ever gone as far as disarming me." She compliments.

"Which is why it would be a shame to end the fight on such a trivial technicality rather than fight to the bitter end, wouldn't you agree?" Zweii enquires smiling.

"Indeed." Pyrrah says, readying herself for the second round.

Zweii shifts Dragon's Wrath into shield form and charges.

_'__Now he's getting up close and personal. He can swing his shield faster than his sword as well.'_

Pyrrah swings her xiphos at, but it's deflected by Zweii's shield. He bashes her in the chest earning his first solid hit. He tries to follow up with a punch but his gauntlet hits steel as Pyrrah blocks it. Zweii swips with his shield arm again trying to slash her with the bayonet.

"That's as far as you go." Pyrrah says blocking the attack and summoning a black aura around Zweii's armor, and sending him backwards as if he was nothing but a doll.

_'__Interesting.'_

_'__What's interesting?'_ Dez's voice asks entering my thoughts.

_'__Oh hey Dez. I was just wondering how you were doing without Matt's assistance.'_

_'__It went fine. I'm coming back to base with the flag. How are things going on your end?'_

_'__Zweii and Pyrrah are facing off at the base.'_

_'__You're not helping him?'_

_'__Nope. Zweii likes fighting one on one. If Pyrrah had a partner then I would intervene.'_

_'__Alright then. I'm probably halfway to the base now so I'll see you soon.'_

_'__Roger that.'_

Zweii lands on his feet and slides backwards from the force of Pyrrah's assumed semblance. He switches to his weapon back into blade form and charges forward again.

"That won't work." Pyrrah taunts summoning up the black aura again. As she starts to push Zweii back again he drives his sword into the ground and braces himself. He begins to be pushed back slightly but with his sword being used as an anchor he doesn't move far. His left hand begins to glow with fire and he punches the ground, summoning pillars of fire from the ground and towards Pyrrah.

She evades to left with the flames barely missing her and pulses he semblance, severing Zweii's grip on his blade and once again pushing him off the ground. As he sails backwards Pyrrah hurls her shield at him and pegs him in the chest, the shield ricocheting off and back into her hand. His aura drops to red as he lands.

"That was a grand battle, but now I will claim the objective." She says looking at the flag. "Oh and are you going to tell me where your leader is?" She asks remembering the deal.

"He's right in front of you." Zweii smiles as Pyrrah grips the flag, frowning in confusion. When she tries to lift the flag she finds it to be stuck. I uncloak revealing myself to be just where Zweii had said. In front of her, holding the flag.

"Surprise." I say as I lift the flag up and pull it out of her hands.

I spin the in on my right side and strike her left shoulder, then alternate it to my left side and hit her right. My plan is working as she is surprised by my sudden appearance. I take the flag in my right hand and jab her in the chest with the head of the flag multiple times. I finish with an upward swing that sends her sliding back. I throw the flag back into the ground.

"Well that was unexpected. You caught me off guard."

"I will not hesitate to use the element of surprise." I grin.

"I've never seen you use your semblance before. It looks like you can use it to become invisible."

"Correct, and thanks to my partner here I now know yours."

"So you were watching the entire time?" She asks.

I nod. "Every move."

"Well let's see if you can actually use that knowledge." She says raising her shield.

"Let's" I respond drawing Lunar Fang and attacking.

She blocks effortlessly and counters. Swing after swing she seemingly copies her movements from earlier to block my sword. I retreat back to the flag and plan my next move. I rush her again and she hurls her shield at me. I throw my claymore down and jump, landing on the disc briefly before jumping forward off of it. Pyrrah activates her semblance again expecting to push me back. To her shock and dismay I continue onwards delivering a spinning kick to the face sending her to the ground.

"How did you resist my semblance?" She asks as she gets up.

"Your semblance is polarity giving you control over magnetism. That's how you stopped Zweii and pushed him back. It's a very handy ability to use against people who use metal." I elaborate.

"Very perceptive, but it still doesn't explain why I couldn't push you back."

"You were unable to push me back because my armor isn't made of metal." I say hitting my chest plate electing a hollow knocking noise. Her eyes widen with realization.

"It's real Grimm plating! But how is that possible? Grimm disintegrate after they are slain leaving nothing behind. Armor like that shouldn't even exist."

"But it can with a family trick I picked up on. Infusing the pieces with the correct mixture of Dust stops the disintegration of Grimm bodies. My great grandfather discovered this technique by pure coincidence and he kept the details secret from anyone outside of my family."

"You're just full of secrets and surprises aren't you?" She asks smiling.

"You don't know the half of it." I say picking up Vulcan.

"You're not going to use your own weapon?" Pyrrah asks.

"Nope."

"Do you even know how to use Matthew's hammer?"

I grin at the question. "Pyrrah, Pyrrah, Pyrrah. Who do you think made Vulcan in the first place?"

It's true. Matt's a lot of things. Stubborn, funny, a great friend and let's not forget, borderline insane at times, but a weapon smith he is not. Of course he didn't think he would find interest in fighting monsters to begin with so learning how to put a weapon together from scratch wasn't high on his list of things to learn.

When Matt told me he wanted to become a huntsman, he asked for lessons on how to properly use a weapon. Lessons are easy, picking a weapon is not. It turned into a trial by error sort of deal. I offered any weapon imaginable and the weapon he could use best would be his.

He wasn't bad with most weapons but he wasn't the best either, until he got his hands on his first hammer. That's when his potential shined as bright as the full moon on a cloudless winter night. So that's what I trained him to use.

When Matt got to Signal he was tasked with creating his own modified weapon and the results were… Catastrophic. Nothing he attempted to create came close to being called functional or practical. Despite his many failures he remained determined to make one work without assistance, even from me. That was until he gave the weapon shop teacher a concussion. The head of his latest version flew of the handle mid swing and hit him from across the room. While Matt chalked that up as another failure I saw it as an interesting success waiting to happen.

After that he caved in and allowed me to help him craft his weapon. I developed a working design and blueprint and he managed to do the rest. The detachable head bound to the handle by a chain system was even incorporated into the final design.

I take a few practice swings to get use to the weight and to get reacquainted with using a hammer. Matt's better suited by far to wield this weapon since it was built around his strengths but it's still manageable.

I attack with a downward smash which she avoids easily. She counters by swinging at my side but I block with Vulcan's massive head. I gain some distance from her and fire the hammer like a cannon with the head being the ball. She uses her magnetism to move it to her side before impact.

_'__Not this time.'_

I spin, swinging Vulcan around full circle catching Pyrrah with the chain and wrapping around her arms and torso. With her now trapped I swing the hammer again slamming her into a tree before releasing her.

"That was clever. Using my own force against me like that. Seems you really did learn something after all." She says politely. Even in heavy combat Pyrrah is the most polite person in the world.

"Let's finish this." I say reeling Vulcan's head back into place.

She nods and we charge at each other, clashing weapons with great force. We're both showing signs of fatigue as we both breathe heavily while holding each other off. I just need to hold her off for a little longer. Unfortunately Pyrrah has other ideas and flips Vulcan out of my hands and trips me with a low sweep kick. Vulcan lands behind me as I lie on my back with her boot on my chest and her spear at my throat.

"I believe I have won this battle." She smirks. I return my own and laugh a little.

"Perhaps, but you have lost the war. I wasn't expecting to beat you, just to keep you busy." I say pointing towards our flag. Her expression changes to shock as we both look to see Dez holding both flags in an x-shape over his head.

"Dezaryl Ravenhawk has claimed the enemy flag. There for victory is awarded to Team: AZRE." Glynda says thorough a nearby speaker. Pyrrah grabs my hand and pulls me up onto my feet.

"Well done. That was an excellent match." She says ever graciously even in defeat.

"Thanks. Hey look, here comes the others." Matt and Jaune walk up first.

"Yes! We got the flag!" Matt cheers.

"Yes and I have your hammer." I say reuniting Matt with Vulcan.

"Ah, there's my boy. I was wondering where you'd turn up."

"Ace got me pretty good with your hammer." Pyrrah says.

"You fought her with my weapon?" Matt asks.

"Sure did. I know it's what you would have wanted."

"You're too kind. Oh man you should have been there when I sent Jaune skyward. He flew like a…"

"Can we please not talk about it?" Jaune interrupts looking sick at the mention of his unexpected trip to the stratosphere.

"Heh, right… Sorry Jaune." Matt smiles sheepishly. Nora and Ren walk out from the brush as Dez and Zweii join the group.

"Oh my D-Dust Dez, t-that was sooo c-cold." Nora says still shivering.

"Right. Sorry about that." Dez apologizes.

"What happened to her?" Zweii asks.

"Dez got her with an Ice Dust arrow. Froze her completely solid." Ren says as Nora hugs him in an attempt to steal his warmth.

Professor Goodwitch walks up with the rest of the combat class.

"Excellent work on both sides. This, students, is a fine example of strategy and combat. Mister Wolfblade, I'm impressed with your ability to adapt during combat, however I would advise you to rethink your strategy as to not lose as many teammates." Goodwitch says reviewing her notes.

"Yes Ma'am"

"Miss Nikos, as always your fighting skills properly reflect someone of your level but next time, do not forget the objective."

"Yes professor."

"That will be all for today. Class dismissed."

"Man I'm exhausted!" Matt groans.

"Well Port's class is next so maybe you can sneak in a nap during one of his stories." Dez jokes.

"Aw but I like his stories." Matt continues to whine as he was torn between desired rest or listening to one of Port's infamous tales.

"Come on let's go." Zweii says evenly.

I can't help but smile at the team before me. In such a seemingly short time we had become thick as thieves. I silently pray that these times would never end.

* * *

><p><em>Later In Ozpin's Office…<em>

* * *

><p>Ozpin sat as his desk, sipping from his mug as he reviewed some important paperwork. All classes would soon be over for the day and he would no doubt have more documents filling his workspace. Such was the life of a headmaster. The door to the elevator opens and Professor Goodwitch steps out with a folder in her hand.<p>

"Ah, Glynda. Good to see you. How are your lectures going?" Ozpin asks greeting the platinum blonde.

"Fine sir." She replies simply.

"How are the teams doing? I'm sure you have a report on their progress." He says confidently.

"Yes sir. The students are doing well, particularly teams, RWBY, JNPR, and AZRE." She answers with professionalism.

"I expected as much. They show great potential and promise. I only wish more teams could be more like them." He says smiling.

"Yes well there is an issue that I must address." Glynda says pressing her glasses in to place.

"Oh? What seems to be the matter?" He asks raising his eyebrow.

"One student in particular is concerning us."

"Glynda I've already stated that while Mister Arc is not well suited in combat, he is making progress and…"

"While the leader of JNPR still concerns me, the issue does not concern Jaune Arc." She interrupts. "Surveillance has captured a few unsettling things. A student is regularly breaking curfew and leaving the school." She continues pulling out a recording of a figure roaming the halls and leaving Beacon. "The purpose of these routine departures was unclear as was the identity of the student."

"This is peculiar but as it stands now I fail to see why this is raising such concern. Why not intercept the student before they leave the front doors?" Ozpin asks.

"Myself and the other professors have already attempted to put an end to this. We've waited for the student on many occasions but have not been able to catch the student in the act of exiting or returning to the school. We have heard the student walking through the halls while we stood watch but there was never any sign of them."

"Do you have anything further?" Ozpin asks. She nods pulling up another recording.

"This was taken today during an exercise between Team JNPR and Team AZRE." She explains as she fast forwards the footage until she finds the correct scene and freezes it. It was a still image of Pyrrah and Ace fighting each other. Glynda zooms in on a black blur in the background and enhances the image. Ozpin rises from his chair slowly at the sight of the new image. In the back of the scene was a Beowolf, wearing a collar.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ozpin asks concern evident in his voice.

"Sir this is far more serious than a student simply breaking curfew. I don't think I have to explain my concern with what you are no doubt now aware of. A student by some means is sheltering a Grimm like some common pet." She says in a worried tone.

"Do we have any idea as to who could be responsible for this?" Ozpin asks as calmly as he can. Glynda again simply answers with a nod and hands him the folder. The headmaster is disheartened at the suspect.

"All evidence points to this student."

"We must address this matter immediately. Tomorrow I want that student in my office. No exceptions."

"Understood sir."

"Is that all you have for me?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well then. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You may go." Ozpin says as he continues to stare at the folder.

Glynda takes her leave. Ozpin sits back down in his chair and throws the folder onto his desk. He rubs his temple and sighs.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" He mutters turning his chair away from his desk. Upon its surface laid the open personnel file of Ace Wolfblade.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey I'm finally back! I've been working really hard to get things moving again with the story and finally have a chapter to show for it. The chapter after this one is also nearly complete. That being said I'm sorry for the delay.**

**In other news, I have decided that the Special will be out when it gets out. I don't think I will hit my desired goal but hey the story must go on and I am not waiting a full year just to do so.**

**And finally, you know how the characters from RWBY have an allusion to some fictional character? Well mine are too! I think they are pretty obvious but I want to see if any of you get who they are. It's not required of course but it's fun to guess right?**

**So that wraps up this note. What will happen to Ace and Shadow? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out.**


	15. Chapter 12

**Shifting Shadows: A Wolf Amongst Huntsmen**

* * *

><p>"…ake …p"<p>

_'__What?'_

"Wa… u…"

_'__Is someone calling me?'_ I can hear a voice, soft and faint. Someone is trying to tell me something, but I can't make out what they're saying.

"Wake up." The voice calls again much clearer. The voice sounds feminine but also echoed and a bit… Off. I open my eyes to stare into darkness.

"Where am I? Hello?" I call trying to figure out where I am, and more importantly how I got here. There's nothing around me when I was with Weiss in the… Wait. I'm dreaming? That would explain where I am and how I got here with no memory of it.

A light appears in front of me. It's a small, white orb that resembles a small flame. It flickers and pulses like it's alive.

"Eerie." I mutter.

The white orb expands, flashing with an intense brightness.

* * *

><p>I open my eyes for the second time. I'm awake in my team's room. The rest of the guys are still sleeping. Zweii lay straight like a fallen statue as he rested easy. Dez was thoroughly wrapped in his sheets like it was a cocoon of comfort protecting him while he dreamt. And Matt had managed to flip off of his back, position himself face down on his sheets and while still holding his pillow close with his right hand, turned one-hundred and eighty degrees to where his head was where his feet should have been with his left arm draped over the side of his bed. As I get up I feel dizzy.<p>

"That was weird." I say softly, referring to the brief dream. I check the time. 7:00 AM. Classes won't start for a couple of hours.

I could just go back to sleep for a little longer, but I'm still a little unnerved by that dream for some reason. Breakfast won't be served for a while so I can't eat. I think I'll just do some early morning training. But first, a shower. I get up and walk to the door. As I step outside I find Professor Goodwitch waiting in the hall.

"I see you're up early Mister Wolfblade." She greets me with her usual stern voice, albeit a little quieter as to not wake anyone.

"Um, good morning professor. What are you doing outside our room so early?" I ask yawning.

"Professor Ozpin has requested your presence in his office. Alone." She says frowning. She may be the only person I know that frowns more than the Ice Queen.

"Uh, sure. May I use the shower first?" I ask still being affected by the sickening sensation that hit me after waking up.

"Ozpin wishes to see you immediately. Are you feeling alright? You seem ill." She asks noticing my uneasiness.

"I'm fine, I think. Just feel a little dizzy for some reason. Nothing serious." I answer.

"Hmm. Alright then. Go ahead and take your shower, but make it quick. I expect to see you in Ozpin's office in no later than twenty minutes." She says adjusting her glasses.

"Yes Ma'am. Thank you." She nods and leaves.

Well that was an unexpected way to start the morning. I walk to the boy's showers and turn on the warm water. I step into the shower and let the water wash over me. As I shower I can't help but think about the dream I had. It felt as if Dez was using his semblance on me, but he was sleeping so he it couldn't have been him. I don't think he would do something like that anyway.

And that voice. I've never heard it before but it seemed strangely familiar. I don't even know how that makes sense. I push the thought of the dream from my mind.

"It probably wasn't anything." I reason. "Just some random dream. Still…"

And what about Goodwitch? She said Ozpin wanted to see me. I'm certain he sent her to retrieve me when I woke up. But we have class today. Why would she wait? Maybe I woke up around the time she got to our room. But why? She made it sound urgent. I hope it's nothing serious.

I turn off the shower and towel off. The water seems to have fixed that nasty feeling. I put my gear on and walk to the elevator, pressing the button to call it down. The door opens and I step in, the doors closing behind me. I feel the elevator move to the next destination. It stops shortly after, reaching the top and opening. Inside Ozpin's office stood Goodwitch, Port, and Oobleck standing on either side of the sizable desk sitting in the middle of the round room. The headmaster himself was sitting in his chair.

_'__Why are they here?'_

"Mister Wolfblade. Glad you could make it on time." Goodwitch starts. "Are you feeling better?" She asks her expression softening slightly.

"Yes actually. It seems to have passed." I answer.

"Good to hear." Ozpin looks at her questioningly. "Young Wolfblade here was feeling a bit disoriented this morning." She explains, not even looking at the headmaster.

"I see." Ozpin simply acknowledges. "Any ideas as to why?"

_'__Yeah. That weird dream might have something to do with it. No, I already decided it was nothing.' _I think to myself. "No sir. Must be having an off day." I look to the other professors. They remained silent but observant. "Is everything okay?" I ask.

"That is something I can't safely say at the moment." Ozpin answers, his usual optimistic smile failing him. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions."

"Of course sir. I'll help in any way I can." He nods.

"How are you enjoying your time here at Beacon?"

_'__Odd question. Then again so is this morning.'_ "Well it's definitely interesting. Beats working back at the family forge all day. I'm getting to meet a lot of new people so that's a plus. And I'm learning a lot about being a Huntsman."

"Good. Tell me a little about home. You say your family owns a forge?" He asks with interest.

"Yes. My family makes weapons and armor. A few basic items here and there and some Dust but most of the time it's special requests for upcoming Huntsmen and Huntresses or repairing broken items. It's a family business. They've been making weapons for a long time."

"And you made your own equipment I assume?"

"Correct. I was taught early on how to make everything we sell."

Oobleck cuts in. "So why are you here learning how to fight monsters rather than staying at home and working there? You must be the next in line to inherit the business."

"Well, I wanted to do more with my life. It's true that one day I will run the business, and that's not a problem. I love my family's work and will gladly continue it. But I feel as though I could give so much more to the world in the meantime. Being a Huntsman would help me do that. I could help others, meet new people, and go places I've never been."

"Interesting answer, very interesting indeed." The green haired professor says in his usual fast pace.

"If you don't mind me asking, what materials did you use for your armor?" Ozpin asks.

"Excuse me?"

"Your armor. What is it made out of? It looks very real."

"Well you see the thing is… It _is_ real." This gets a reaction from Port.

"My boy that is impossible. Grimm cannot be preserved for any purpose. As a young Huntsman in training you must know that their bodies disappear after death. Anything that resembles Grimm is a replica made from more natural materials." He argues.

"As far as you know. I understand your doubt but I can assure you it's genuine." I smirk.

"I will be the judge of that." He says in his booming voice.

"Knock yourself out." I shrug.

He steps closer, examining the armor carefully. He feels the fur of my helmet, checks the texture of the scales, and tests the plates on my arm. Port steps back astonished.

"So Professor Port, What is it really?" Oobleck asks.

"He speaks the truth. It's real Grimm material." He answers in shock.

"Told you so. Pyrrah didn't believe it was real either, until she figured out she couldn't magnetize it."

"You can't be serious Port. Are you absolutely certain?" Oobleck asks swiftly drinking from his cup.

"Don't forget Bartholomew, I am a seasoned Huntsman myself. When you have fought for as long as I have, you never forget what they feel like when you grapple against them with your bare hands." He boasts. "This is simply amazing! My dear boy, you must tell me how you could accomplish something like this!" he says with excitement.

"I can't. Not exactly how at least. It was something my great grandfather discovered. By using the right mixture of Dust, he found a way to keep them from vanishing. My helmet was actually the first he ever used it on. He made the helmet, I made the rest. I'm not allowed to tell anyone how he or I did it." Port seemed disheartened at that last part.

"Shame. I wished to have learned how for myself, but I will respect your great grandfather's wish to keep his technique secret." He sighs.

"Thank you professor. If you want I could always preserve some real trophies for you, provided I have the proper supplies of course." I suggest.

"I just might take you up on that offer someday. Another joyous hunting adventure to tell about, Hah Ha!" He laughs.

_'__Oh what have I done?"_ I internally moan.

"Moving on then." Ozpin says regaining control of the conversation. "How is your team? You've been together for a few months now. Surely you've gained some insight on your friends and their abilities."

"Well there's my partner Zweii." I start.

"Mister Dragos." Ozpin confirms.

"Yeah. He's a really great guy. He's pretty smart, strong too. He's chivalrous to a fault. He's more of a Knight than a Huntsman, looks and attitude. He's real skilled in combat and I'm glad to have someone like him watching my back."

"Glynda tells me that you allowed him to fight Miss Nikos on his own. A very risky move considering her reputation." Ozpin says taking a brief drink from his own coffee mug.

"Yes I told him that too, but he insisted on fighting one on one."

"So you let him disobey your orders and act on his own?"

"I let him be who he is. I told you he's a Knight before all else. The way he chooses to handle his battles is his own. Sure it led to his defeat against Pyrrah but I'm sure he already knew the possible consequences of his actions."

"Very well. Please continue."

"Then there's Dezaryl. He's agile, quick witted, and really good when it comes to reconnaissance." I frown slightly. "He told me what happened to him and his family."

"Yes Ravenhawk's circumstances were unfortunate." Ozpin says dryly.

"Despite his misfortunes, he still strives to do anything in his power to make things right, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him." I continue.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in him."

"I don't think there's anything he wouldn't do for his allies. He'd give his life in a second if it meant the well-being of those he cares for."

"And what of Mister Erthanos?" Ozpin inquires.

"Matthew is the best friend I could ever ask for. Sure he's stubborn and can be a pain sometimes, but he's the most loyal person I know, and by far the strongest."

"Mister Erthanos does have a unique aptitude in strength to be assured." Glynda confirms sighing. She's had to clean up the training area multiple times after he used it.

"That's not what I meant. His greatest strength doesn't come from his raw power, but rather from his heart. Matthew's love for his friends and family is the fuel that drives his passion for battle. That's why he fights so hard. Why he wants to be here. That's what makes him strong." I finish. Ozpin nods his head smiling.

"Professor Ozpin, I think it's time to get to the matter at hand." Glynda interrupts. Ozpin sighs in response.

"Mister Wolfblade. Do you know why we have asked you here?" he asks.

"No sir."

"Professor Goodwitch has reported that an unknown student has been caught roaming the halls late at night. Have you heard anything to confirm this?"

_'__Uh-oh.'_ "No sir. I'm a pretty deep sleeper." Goodwitch frowns at the answer. "However if I do hear something about it come up I will be sure to inform you immediately." I quickly add.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Goodwitch says in a tone that I definitely don't feel comfortable hearing.

"Professor?"

"Enough staling." Goodwitch snaps pulling up an image that makes this morning's uneasiness seem like nothing compared to the horrible feeling spreading through my body now. I felt as if I was being pricked by thousands of burning pins.

_'__Oh-No!'_

"Would you care to explain this?" She asks pointing at an image of Shadow. "It's a Beowolf with what appears to be your crest hanging around its neck."

My heart sank endlessly within my chest. They found him. They know I've been hiding him. I hang my head down staring blankly at the floor.

"… I can explain."

"We don't just want an explanation. We want the truth. You have been no doubt lying to us to cover your trail and protect another of your secrets." Oobleck deduces accurately.

"Are you or are you not the one breaking curfew and leaving the school?" Ozpin asks.

"I am." I admit.

"And what of your connection to this Grimm?" He asks.

"It's true. He's mine. He's my pet."

"That simply cannot be. Grimm are the manifestation of darkness. They cannot be tamed." Port explains.

"You also didn't believe they could be preserved either." I retort. "It sounds insane I know, but I'm telling you he's not a threat. I can prove it. You just have to trust me." I plead.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Port asks.

"I'll show you. I'll take you to Shadow."

"Mister Wolfblade. You have broken curfew, lied to us when questioned, and brought the very bane of humanity into our midst. You face permanent expulsion from Beacon. How are we supposed to believe your word?" Goodwitch scolds.

"…"

"Does anyone else know about this?" Ozpin asks.

"My parents." I answer briefly.

"And they simply allowed you to keep mankind's greatest threat like some stray dog?" He asks with disbelief.

"To be fair they put me through what you're doing now before I convinced them."

"Anyone else?"

"No one else I would like to disclose. I do not want others paying for my mistakes. I will accept full responsibility and the consequences myself."

Ozpin considers this intently. "Very well then. Take us to your creature. We will determine its innocence as well as your standing here at Beacon." He decides rising from his chair.

"Yes sir."

I am escorted to the elevator by the other professors. We step in one by one. Port and Oobleck stood in the back while Ozpin and Goodwitch stood in front. I was stood center like a VIP, except it felt like I was a criminal being led to execution.

_'__I must prove his innocence. I won't let them take Shadow away from me.'_

* * *

><p>We proceed down the cliff side and approach the front of the forest a short time later. The sun has barely come up revealing only small rays of light. The professors keep a constant vigil over me.<p>

"Go on then. Take us to it." Goodwitch commands.

"No. He will come to us." I whistle, starting high and bring the pitch lower, ending with a medium tone. Shadow's call. The whistle echoes through the forest and is heard by Shadow. He howls in the distance startling birds and sending them scattering from their roosts. He's not very far away. Glynda draws her crop and Port his blunderbuss ax.

"Wait. Let's observe before we act. Give him a chance." Ozpin orders.

They keep their weapons drawn but relax their stances. Shadow walks out of the woods but stops when he sees the extra company.

"It's okay bud, they won't hurt you." _'I hope.'_ "Friends." Shadow steps closer wagging his tail. "There we go." I smile. "You were supposed to stay out of sight." I playfully scold him. He rears up and pushes me onto the ground, licking my face. "I know you're sorry. Now behave. I have some people who would like to see you." Shadow steps off my chest and sits while I get up, dusting myself off. "Professor Port. You're a Grimm enthusiast. Would you care to examine him?" I ask.

"He won't attack?" He asks.

"Not unless provoked. Even then he usually just growls. Unlike other Grimm, he actually likes people in general unless given a reason not to, so you will be fine." I explain.

Port approaches shadow steadily. Shadow simply cocks his head to the side awaiting Port's next move. Port's hand reaches Shadow's head electing another tail wag.

"My, this is impressive." Port says fascinated by the lack of aggression being displayed by Shadow.

"Put your hand in front of him." I instruct. Port does as I ask. "Shadow, shake." I order, in which my pet responds by placing his right paw on Port's outstretched hand.

"This is remarkable. He displays such intelligence not seen in normal Grimm. And he is capable of displaying emotion." Port commends.

"Yeah. Teaching him basic commands was surprisingly simple. The hard part was getting him to take a bath." I laugh.

"It's clear he listens to you quite well. How did you manage to tame him?" Ozpin asks. I tell them the story I told Ruby at the beginning of Beacon.

"Now that is a tale to rival one of my own." Port laughs.

"Well it was certainly enlightening. However the other professor's and I must discuss what we think is the best course of action before anything else. You will remain here while we talk on the cliff." Ozpin instructs.

"Understood." With that the four staff members return to higher ground, leaving me alone with Shadow. He gives off a faint whine. "It's okay. No matter what, I won't let them hurt you."

* * *

><p><em>Beacon Cliffside…<em>

* * *

><p>"Professor Ozpin. Are you seriously considering letting that creature live?" Glynda asks the headmaster.<p>

"I don't know. This is a most unique situation we have found ourselves in. What are your thoughts on this Glynda?" Ozpin asks.

"I don't like it. There is danger that the creature may revert to a more aggressive nature, a risk I do not wish to take." The platinum blonde answers.

"You would rather destroy it even after experiencing firsthand how it behaves?" Port interjects. "This kind of higher intelligence has never been documented in even the oldest Grimm. There is much we could learn from this if we allow it to live. Shadow acts like a well-trained dog, Goodwitch, not a killer."

"Quite right. While the fact remains that it could indeed prove dangerous, we should not be so hasty to punish the creature for crimes it has not committed. After all it _is _one Beowolf. If anything were to happen we could most assuredly handle it without problem. Perhaps it could even prove to be a most valuable ally." Oobleck argues, agreeing with his mustached colleague.

"Very well then." Goodwitch sighs. "But I will not allow for Mister Wolfblade's actions to go unpunished."

"Yes, the boy must obey our rules. Rules are meant to be followed." Oobleck agrees.

"Then we are in agreement?" Ozpin questions, the other professors nodding. Reaching their decision, they make their way back to the forest.

* * *

><p><em>Ace…<em>

* * *

><p>I see the professors returning to rejoin me near the forest. I step in front of Shadow to shield him.<p>

"Mister Wolfblade. After a quick discussion with each other and much consideration, the professors and I have decided… To grant mercy towards Shadow. He may stay." Ozpin smiles.

_'__Yes! I'm not going to lose him!'_ "Thank you professors. Really."

"However, we cannot over look your actions." My smile drops.

"You're… Kicking me out of Beacon?" I ask.

"Rest assured your place here at Beacon is safe for the time being. Your friends would most likely miss their leader. But you have broken the rules and that cannot go unpunished." Ozpin explains.

"Yes sir." I say with relief that I get to stay, but worry as to what form of punishment I must endure. "What would you have me do?" I ask. Ozpin smiles.

"You are to prepare a report on the Theory of Higher Intelligence in Grimm. You will work on this throughout your first year alongside Professor Port and Shadow. At least twenty pages, double sided. That will hopefully teach you not to break curfew and transport unusual cargo without permission." He smirks.

"That's it? I ask in disbelief.

"That's it." Ozpin confirms. "And no more nightly visits to the forest. One of the professors will accompany you after class hours when you wish to visit Shadow."

"Yes Professor Ozpin."

"Very good. Classes will be starting soon. Better meet up with your friends. They might get worried."

"Of course professor Ozpin. Shadow, fade." I command. Shadow retreats back into the depths of the forest. "Thank you again professors. I'll see you in class!" I shout back as I run up the cliff.

_'__Oh of all the ways this could have turned out, this is by far the best! That report might suck a little, but it's totally worth it!'_

I find my team waiting in the hall. They had already got themselves ready for class.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Matt asks excited to see me.

"Just talking with the professors." I smile meekly.

"What about? I know that look Ace. What happened?" Matt asks concerned.

"They… found Shadow." Matt and the other's freeze.

"What!? What happened? Is he okay? They didn't… you know…"

"Calm down Matt. They spared him. It took some convincing but they let him live."

"Oh thank Dust. I know how much he means to you." Matt sighs in relief.

"I'm guessing they figured out you were using your semblance to sneak out too." Dez states.

"Yeah they did."

"And I'm willing to wager that they gave you some form of punishment." Zweii adds. "So what is it? Detention, cleaning the school?"

"I have a twenty page report added to my work load." I sigh.

"Ouch." Matt says covering his face.

"A small price to pay really. I could have been expelled so I prefer the alternative."

"Well we should get to class. The sooner we go, the sooner they will end and you can start working on that assignment." Dez mocks.

"Thanks." I deadpan. "Let's go."

* * *

><p><em>Later that night…<em>

* * *

><p>"Wake up." A voice calls.<p>

I open my eyes and find myself in that weird dream state once more. The white orb also makes a return.

"Okay this is freaky." I mutter. I look towards the white flame. "Are you the one talking to me?"

"Yes." The voice says emanating from the small orb. "There isn't much time."

"Huh?"

The white orb expands like before and I wake up in my bed with a gasp, sitting upright, sweating. Unnerved.

_'__What's going on?'_


	16. Chapter 13

**Love in the Air: The Smell of Steel and Roses**

Another glorious Saturday was upon us. My team and I sat in the cafeteria eating and talking with our friends as we do every morning. Ruby and her team were in the line getting food while Nora was going on about another weird and wild dream of hers, with minor assistance from Ren. But I wasn't paying attention. I was having thoughts about my own dreams.

These dreams aren't normal. No matter how hard I try to ignore them, they keep resurfacing in my mind. They always start the same. I wake up alone in a dark void. The only other presence there is that white flame. What's even weirder is that _she_ speaks to me. But just as soon as they begin they end, and I wake up feeling disoriented. Nothing about them makes any sense.

"Ace? Ace! Remnant to Ace!" Matt shouts, annoyed for some reason.

"Huh? Oh sorry. What's up?" I ask shaking my head clear of those annoying thoughts.

"You've been staring at your food for like ten minutes now. It was freaking me out." Matt says.

"Yeah, and you missed the best part of my dream!" Nora pouts.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to ignore you guys." I apologize. Nora was still frowning despite the apology.

"Nora, I'm sure Ace didn't mean to upset you. I suspect he had something else weighing on his mind." Ren says, reasoning with his hyperactive partner.

"Okey-dokey." Nora chirps with a renewed smile.

"Is something troubling you Ace?" Pyrrha asks. "You know you can talk to us if you need to." She says with a smile.

"Thanks Pyrrha, but it's probably nothing to be concerned about." I reply, but at this point I don't know if I'm trying to convince them or myself. I don't want to tell them I'm being afflicted by unusual dreams; lest I wish them to start thinking I'm going insane.

Pyrrha opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted when we hear Ruby approaching with her team.

"Please Yang? Pleasepleasepleaseplease…" She whines to her sister.

"Sorry Ruby, I've got training with Blake later to work on our teamwork. I can't go." The blonde replies simply.

"Aww." Ruby groans. "What about you Weiss?" The red and black clad leader asks her partner.

"I would, but I've got some studying to take care of for our next exam. Something you should also be preparing for." The heiress says flatly, but without her frigid edge.

"Ugh! I was going to study after!" Ruby practically screams. "I can't believe my own team is abandoning me!"

"Don't be so dramatic." Blake says in her usual calm tone.

"What's going on with Ruby?" Jaune asks.

"Ruby wants to go to Vale to pick up some ammo for Crescent Rose." Yang says sitting down with her food.

"Yeah and my team won't come with me." Ruby pouts. "Good thing I know I can count on my _other_ friends." Ruby says smiling, looking at Jaune and his team.

"Well we… Uh… Sorta…" The blonde knight babbles.

"Sorry Ruby, but Nora requested we have a movie day with pancakes today." Pyrrha says apologetically.

"What!? This is unbelievable!" Ruby shouts.

"I'll go." I say earning looks from the others. "I need to pick up some Dust anyway." I have an idea for augmenting my weapons I've been wanting to test. And maybe this trip will help keep my mind off the dreams.

Ruby perks up, semblancing over and side hugging me.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!" She shouts rapidly. Her sudden contact makes me blush slightly.

"You guys wanna come?" I ask my team.

"Nah. Me, Dez, and Zweii are going to play that new shooter my mom sent over." Matt says.

"Alright. You guys have fun with that. You ready to go Ruby?"

"Yep! Let's go!" She cheers. I smile at her excitement.

"Lead the way."

* * *

><p>We board the airship and take our seats. Shortly after, the airship ascends and we depart for Vale City.<p>

"So, what's new with you and your team?" I ask Ruby, making conversation.

"Well, I'm training really hard to improve my skills and I study a lot more with Weiss to become a much better leader, just like I promised." She says smiling.

"That's good. How is Weiss by the way?"

"She's a lot more open then when we first met. She can still be a bit cold sometimes but she's trying really hard to be a good friend. She told me she has a talk with you not to long ago, and that you helped her figure out a few things."

"Oh did she now?" I say smiling.

"Yep. She was really upset that day and you helped her blow off some steam. I was surprised you got her to talk to you. Whatever you told her really helped change her."

"You know I couldn't have done it without you." I tell her.

"Me? But I didn't do anything. I _couldn't _do anything." She says frowning.

"That's not true in the slightest. You did the most important thing without even knowing it. You kept trying to get to know her and be her friend and treat her like any other normal person, and in doing so you slowly chipped away at her icy heart. You showed her more patience and compassion than anyone else ever could. In the end it was your words, not mine, that allowed me to break through to the friendly Weiss you saw deep inside. You are her very best friend Ruby. So never believe that you never did her any favors."

"I really did that much?" She asks, a bit taken aback from what I told her.

"Absolutely. Ask Weiss yourself when we get back."

"Alright." She says with returned smile. "So how about you? How are things going for you and your team?" She asks returning my question.

"Pretty good actually. We won that match against JNPR so that's something."

She laughs remembering the match from a couple days ago.

"You fought Pyrrha with the flag! That was so cool, and she was so surprised!" She says excitedly.

"Well she wanted the flag, so I gave it to her." I joke making us both laugh.

The airship begins to descend at the Vale City landing pad. We step off the airship and begin walking with Ruby continuing to lead the way. As we walked I could see people staring at us. More specifically me. Some pointed and a few shot nasty looks, others I could hear whispering. I've received this treatment before. I look forward and ignore the crowds.

"So, know any good Dust shops around here?" I ask.

"I think I know a pretty good one." She beams proudly.

"So what kind of sniper rounds do you buy for Crescent Rose?"

"I don't really buy ammo; I buy casings and powders to make them myself." She replies.

"Wow. A do it yourself job. That's how you know they're good."

"Only the best for my sweetheart!" Ruby says pulling out her folded Sniper-Scythe and cuddling it. She really does love weapons.

We walk up to a small shop with _From Dust Till Dawn_ displayed in the window as its title.

"This is the shop I was in when Torchwick attacked with his henchmen." Ruby says.

"And where Goodwitch showed up and scolded you." I add.

"Hey! How'd you know that?"

"Yang." I answer simply.

"Big mouth." Ruby pouts.

_'__Dust, even when she pouts she's adorable… Wait, what did I just think?'_ I shake my head to dispel the thought.

We walk in the shop and find a balding man behind the counter. He smiles when he sees Ruby walk up.

"Ruby! It's so good to see you again. How are things going at Beacon?" He asks.

"Great! I'm team leader and I have a lot of cool new friends. Speaking of which, this is Ace." She says motioning to me.

"Hello." I greet politely.

"Ah, well any friend of Ruby's is most welcome here. What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here again?" He asks.

"I need some casings and powder for Crescent Rose. I kinda ran out." She answers.

"Lucky you I just got a fresh shipment. Unfortunately, due to all the recent attacks on Dust shops we've been forced to raise our prices. I hate to make you pay more, especially after what you did for me." He sighs.

"I understand. How much do I owe you?" Ruby asks.

"It will be fifteen lien." He says as he pulls out Ruby's usual supplies.

"Wow. That's five lien more than usual." Ruby says pulling out her money and handing it to him. "Here you go."

"Do you also need something?" He asks me.

"Yes actually. Two crystals, Shock, cut."

"That will be twenty lien please." He says as he picks out the Dust from the display case.

"Sure, here." I say producing two tens.

"Will that be all?" The man asks putting our items in bags.

"Yep. Thank you." Ruby chirps.

"You're welcome. Come back any time you two." He says waving as we leave the shop.

We don't make it far from the shop when we are stopped by a random guy. A teenager outfitted in civilian clothes. Definitely not a Grimm slayer, though he was quite bulked up with muscle.

"Hey there cutie." He says in a cocky tone to Ruby. "Why don't you come hang out with me? I could show you a fun time." He says grinning.

"Eww, get away from me." Ruby shrieks.

"You heard the lady. Get out of our way and leave us be." I say.

"You be quite! Stay out of this freak." He spat, his words cutting deep.

"Leave him alone! I said no, now go away you creep!" Ruby shouts angrily.

"Come on let's ditch this loser and have some fun." He says clearly miffed but still wearing that smug grin.

"She said no, now leave." I almost yell.

"I said be QUIET!" He roars, punching me in the side of the head and knocking me to the floor. My check stings a little, since I didn't ready my aura in time. "Freaking monster." He says.

I get back up and dust myself off. "This is your last warning. Leave or we will get the cops to make you leave." I practically growl. This guy was testing my patience.

"You just don't know when to SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" He yells pulling back for another punch. Before his fist reaches half way to me I cloak myself briefly, confusing him, and reappear at his side grabbing his arm and bending it behind his back. I plant my foot on the back of his torso and push him down into a very uncomfortable kneeling position. He struggles to break free but I keep my hold on him.

"Argh, let me go!" He groans. I ignore his request.

"Now, you said some hurtful things a while ago that I'm willing to forget, and if you value your arm you will do what I say." I command.

"Screw you." He mutters. I respond by pushing down with my foot, making him even more uncomfortable. "Okay, Okay fine."

"Good, now you apologize to this young girl for wasting her time with your atrocious behavior."

"Sorry." He mumbles. I twist his arm a little more.

"Louder and like you mean it." I order.

"I'm very sorry for acting that way to you. I won't ever do it again I promise. Please let me go." He begs. I let his arm go and kick him forward. He gets up with fear in his eyes.

"Thank you very much." I say dryly. "For the record, I've been called far worse by people far more threatening then you. Now get lost."

He runs off holding his sore arm without looking back once.

"Ace, are you okay?" Ruby asks touching my check. The feel of her small, soft fingers brushes against my skin. If my face wasn't already warm from the punch it was definitely blazing now. Why am I feeling this way?

"I'm fine. Yang and Matt punch way harder even with my aura active. I'm sorry you had to see me like that." I say turning my head away.

"Are you kidding? That guy was asking for it! You let him off easy." She says smiling.

"Thanks, but still…" I say frowning.

"He called you those horrible things! And you only did it to keep him away from me. Don't worry about it."

A slight silence falls between us. Ruby tries to speak when she is interrupted by the growling of her own stomach. She blushes slightly. "Heh, sorry. Guess I'm a little hungry."

"Well then how about we get something to eat?" I suggest. "I didn't really touch my breakfast this morning. I think I saw a bakery around here somewhere."

"Ooh! We could get some cookies!" She cheers.

"Sounds like fun." I smile.

We walk around until we find the small bakery I saw earlier. The name _The Crumbling Moon_ was displayed on a wooden sign above the doorway. A bell rings as we open the door, signaling the owner that customers had arrived. An elderly woman, in the process of sweeping the floor, turned to greet us.

"Welcome to my shop. How are you two youngins doing today?" She asked sweetly. A much better reception then most others today.

"Fine Ma'am. We were hoping to purchase some goods here. Got anything sweet?" I ask.

Oh ho ho, I think I have plenty around here that would satisfy your tastes. Have a look around; my grandson will help when you find something you like."

"Thank you." Ruby says.

The store did indeed have some great looking foods. Breads of many kinds were neatly displayed on shelves. There were also small cakes and plenty of cookies. If I know Ruby she's going to want…

"Chocolate chip cookies!" She cheers as she finds a box with at least a dozen perfectly baked cookies. "I want these."

Yep. Classic Ruby.

I spot some chocolate chip and banana muffins for sale. I wouldn't mind grabbing a couple of those. I pick out two big ones and we walk to the counter where the woman's grandson was waiting.

"Hi. My names Jorge. Did you find everything satisfactory?" He asks politely.

"Nice to meet you Jorge. Everything looked wonderful. My names Ace and this is Ruby." I greet, introducing ourselves.

"That's nice to hear. We like it when customers appreciate our work. I see you two have weapons. Are you Hunters in training?" He asks.

"You got it. We're from Beacon." Ruby explains.

"Beacon. You two must be very talented to get into there, and very brave to fight those creatures."

"Someone has to do it. We can't all have the luxury of making baked goods for a living." I say with a smile.

"Very true. People like you do us all a great service. Now then, did you find some things you would like?"

"I'll take these." I say putting the muffins on the counter.

"Good choice. That will be four lien please."

I hand him the money and Ruby put's up her box of cookies.

"Cookie lover I see. That will be six lien." He says.

Ruby reaches for her money but tenses for some reason. She frantically checks herself for her cash.

"Oh no. I must have spent it all when I bought my supplies. Sorry but I can't pay for these." She sighs.

"Here, let me pay for those." I say pulling out some extra lien.

"Ace, that's your money." Ruby says shocked. "I can't make you do that. I'll just go put it back."

"But I want to. Just think of it as a thank you for being a great friend." I say handing Jorge the money.

"Aww. Such a gentleman." The elderly woman says. "He's definitely a keeper." She says to Ruby, laughing. "You two make such a cute couple."

"C-Couple?" We stutter. Both our faces turn almost as red as Ruby's cape at the implied suggestion.

"Grandmother!" Jorge scolds. "I'm sorry about that. Grandmother tends to speak without thinking sometimes."

"Let's just eat our food. We can sit at that table." I say to Ruby, pointing out a place to sit.

"Okay." Ruby replies.

"Jorge," His grandmother calls. "You've been working hard. Why don't you take a break?" She suggests.

"Alright Grandmother." He says grabbing a sweet roll to snack on. "Mind if I sit with you two?" He asks us.

"Not at all." I answer

The three of us make ourselves comfortable at the table and begin eating. Ruby quickly inhales four cookies in literally a second. Guess she's fast at everything. I wonder if her Semblance runs on sugar. It would explain how she doesn't get sick from eating so much of it.

I take a bite out of my muffin. I can taste the sweet chocolate mixed with the fruit. They blend wonderfully in my mouth. These have got to be some of the finest baked goods in Vale.

Jorge silently consumes his roll. Ruby has cleaned out all but four of her cookies already. She stops and a look of worry forms on her face.

"Ace? When you were protecting me from that guy, you said that you've been called worse things than what he called you. Was that true?" She asks, concerned about what answer she may receive.

"It's true." I say almost emotionlessly. "That guy wasn't the first and he probably won't be the last." I say before taking another bite from my food.

"I don't mean to be nosey, but what exactly happened?" Jorge asks.

"Some jerk tried hitting on me, and when Ace stepped in to stop him he punched him and called him a monster." Ruby answers.

"That's terrible!" Jorge exclaims. "What would possess someone like him to do such awful things?"

"Like I told Ruby, my armor seems to draw a lot of unfriendly attention."

"Well why not wear something else?" Jorge suggests.

"Because I don't feel that I need to wear something else just to prove I'm not a monster. All of the people whose opinions matter don't have a problem seeing me for who I really am through the armor. Besides it's sentimental to me."

"Maybe but it would probably help avoid being called such nasty things." Jorge says.

"It doesn't matter. I've been degraded long before I donned this armor. Some people are just naturally cruel." I say finishing my first muffin.

"Yeah but-" Ruby starts.

"HELP ME!" We hear someone scream nearby. We all get up and run out the shop. A couple of blocks down we turn into an alley where three guys are ganging up on a small boy bear Fanus.

"Quit yelling! No one is going to help a worthless piece of trash like you." One of the bullies sneers.

"Yeah! You Fanus are nothing but filthy lesser beings that deserve to be exterminated!" A second one adds.

"We're just doing the world a favor by making one less Fanus in this city." The larger one finishes. Probably their leader.

The whole situation reminds me of that fateful day where I was in this boys place. With no one to protect me. Until Matt showed up. I will not allow them to put him in the same position I faced.

"Leave him alone!" I shout drawing the attackers' attention to me.

"And why would we do that?" The leader asks sarcastically.

"Because if you don't, I'll make you stop." I threaten.

"Yeah! You have no right treating him like that!" Ruby yells.

"He's nothing but Fanus trash! We have every right!" The leader shouts. "But if you're ready to take a beating for him then we will gladly include punishing you Fanus lovers too. Get them!" He commands. All three of them charge at us.

Ruby unhooks Crescent Rose and unfolds the massive scythe in front of her. She grabs a nearby trash can with the blade and hurls it at one of the attackers, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him over.

We both run up to the remaining two and engage them in combat. Ruby sped past the other lackey and hit him in the back with the blunt end of her scythe knocking him out.

The leader threw punch after punch at me but he didn't land any of them. I kneel down to avoid a right hook and uppercut him in the jaw sending him to the ground.

Ruby and I walk up to the frightened Fanus boy to see if they had harmed him. We step over the unconscious forms of his would be attackers. Suddenly the leader rises up behind us and yells as he tries to hit us from behind.

With a sudden clang, he drops back down to the ground for good this time. Behind him was Jorge wielding a trash can lid that he used to bash him upside the head.

"Nice work for a baker." I say smiling.

"I'm not completely defenseless." He retorts.

We get down to eye level of the boy, but he flinches.

"Don't worry. They won't bother you anymore. We won't hurt you either." I say trying to calm him down.

"T-Thank You." He manages to get out.

"Hey don't worry about it. What they were doing was wrong. We were happy to help right Ace?" Ruby says smiling. I nod.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Teddy." He answers shyly.

"Well it's nice to meet you Teddy. I'm Ace and this is Ruby and Jorge."

"Hello." Jorge says.

"Where's your parents Teddy. It's dangerous to be in the city alone." I ask.

"My parents are gone." He says starting to tear up. "I'm all alone." He continues sniffing.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Where do you live?"

"On the street. I've been here for at least six months. I have no home to go to."

"Well that certainly won't do." Jorge says. "Come with me. My Grandmother has a shop close by. We can get you cleaned up a little and get some food in you. You look like you could use some."

"Really?" Teddy asks, rubbing tears out of his eyes.

"Of course. Grandmother won't mind." Jorge says helping Teddy up.

"Here. Take this." I say offering him my last muffin. "Go ahead. I'm not that hungry. It's really good."

He accepts it and takes a small bite out of it. His small furry ears perk up and he smiles a little.

"It is good. Thank you." He says before continuing eating.

We walk back to the bakery and are greeted by Jorge's grandmother.

"There you are." She says relieved. "You three took off in such a hurry." She stops when she notices Teddy. "Oh, whose your cute little friend?" She asks.

"Grandmother, this is Teddy. We found him being attacked by some people in an alley."

"Oh you poor dear. I assume it has something to do with those cute little ears on the top of your head." He nods sadly.

"Well let's get you cleaned up before we get you back to your family." We all cringe when she mentions family.

"Actually, Teddy has no family. He's been living on the streets for almost half a year now." Jorge explains. His grandmother frowns briefly but then smiles.

"Well we can't have that now can we? You are more than welcome to stay here with us."

"Grandmother! Are you sure?" Jorge asks, shocked at the suggestion. Teddy looked equally surprised.

"I'm as sure as the year is long. We have plenty of food and space and I could always use some extra help around the shop. It would be no problem at all." She turns to face Teddy. "So how about it? Would you like to stay here with us?" She asks sweetly.

"I-I would like that." He says, holding back tears of happiness. "Thank you Ma'am."

"Ha ha ha. Call me Grandmother. We're your family now."

He walks up and hugs her tightly. Jorge rubs his hair between his ears smiling.

Both me and Ruby smile as we turn to leave.

"Take care now Teddy." Ruby says happily.

"Do come visit us again sometime." Jorge's grandmother calls.

"We will." Ruby answers before the door closes behind us.

We walk back to the landing pad and get on the next airship to Beacon.

"I'm so glad Teddy gets to live with Jorge and his Grandmother. He'll be much happier now." Ruby says as we take our seats.

"I agree. If only it were so easy to help others like him. But I think we can feel good knowing we helped give him a happy new beginning."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later we arrive back at Beacon. We find JNPR walking down the hall talking about the movies they watched.<p>

"I'm just saying Nora. Pacific Grimm has nothing on Grimmzilla." Jaune says calmly.

"But those robots were so cool. And the story was way better!" Nora exclaims.

"I thought they were both good." Pyrrha says calmly. Ren nods in agreement.

"Hey guys. How was movie night?" I ask.

"Great! We had lots of yummy pancakes and the movies were awesome." Nora replies happily.

"Sounds like it." Ruby smiles. She then turns to me. "Thanks for coming with me. It was fun." Ruby says.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow." I say as I walk to my dorm room.

I walk in and find the rest of my team still shooting it out.

"Stop camping Matt!" Dez says annoyed as his character takes a bullet to the brain.

"Never!" Matt laughs maniacally before his character was taken out by a well-aimed RPG to the face. He turns and glares at Zweii. "How do you keep doing that!" Matt yells.

"Skill." Zweii replies. The game ends with Zweii in first and Dez and Matt tied for second.

"Hey guys. How was the game?" I ask.

"Great aside from the fact Matt kept camping and Dez kept running around with a sniper and crossbow." Zweii answers.

"You kept blowing us up with explosives." Dez argues.

"Well at least I didn't have to worry about Ace knifing us." Matt scoffs.

"Hush now. Be glad I'm tired from today or I would hop on and stab you in the face." I taunt.

"We were about to turn in for the day anyway." Matt responds.

They turn of the system and we get into our beds.

"Good night everybody." I say turning off the lights.

"Good night." The others say before drifting to sleep.

As I lay in the bed I can't help but think about today, and Ruby. How I blushed at her very touch. How she constantly brought a smile to my face. Why can't I stop thinking about her? I felt strange around her a lot today. I feel my heart beat against my chest. My heart aches at the thoughts of us enjoying the day together. But it's a different kind of ache from what I've felt before. Not sorrow or hurt. Could it be… Love? Have I found feelings for the adorable young huntress? Could I have fallen for Ruby Rose?

I sigh and drift to sleep. I don't dream of the weird light tonight. I dream of me and Ruby. Together.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ... Yep. I went there. Plenty of easter eggs in this chapter. Wonder if you can find them. Just A note, I actually wasn't going to pair those two together, but as I got more ideas, well it sort of just became a thing. Once again I'm doing a lot of firsts when it comes to writing so romance is the next thing on my list. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did or want to guess the easter eggs, leave a review or shoot me a message. Until next time.**


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